#when Merrie Land came out i focused hard on it to take my mind off of feeling extremely incompetent as a manager | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twistedlymad · 5 years ago

Text

Welcome Home, Dearest Friend. (Ft. Everyone!)

You guys have waited for this for some time now and I truly, sincerely apologize to everyone.

To be honest, it took me three days to write this, I normally wouldn’t have taken this long but I had a bit of the writer’s block that prevented me from thinking of anything. For the first day, I was just staring at my laptop while I had an internal argument with my brain, forcing asking it to please work with me and deliver the long awaited sequel to my fic ‘It’s Time We Go Home.’

But here it is! I do hope the sequel meets everyone’s expectations! I hope you all enjoy it, thank you so much for requesting and waiting for this fic. I hope everyone has a lovely day!

You feel the cold air of the night hit your face and breeze through your hair as you flew in the sky. You took a deep breath, welcoming fresh air into your lungs and exhaling it out shortly after. At that moment, you had a good overview of the prestigious school that is Night Raven College.

Yes, you were back at the place that you so desperately wanted to leave a few months ago thanks to your best friends going to pick you up from your supposed ‘home’.

And you couldn’t be more thankful that they did.

“I missed everyone.” You said, tightening your grip on Ace.

“Yeah, we missed you too.” Ace replied to you as he focused on his flying.

“We all did.” Deuce added on, taking a glance at you. You gave him a smile before you all landed in front of your beloved Ramshackle Dorm. You got off the broom and proceeded to walk towards your dorm, however, you stopped yourself from entering.

“(Y/N)? What’s wrong?” Deuce asked you.

“Does… Anyone else know?” You turned to your friends, making them raise an eyebrow at you.

“Know? Know of what?” Ace asked.

“That I’ve returned.” You said, looking at them. They all shook their heads no.

“Only Headmaster Crowley knows that we went to try to persuade you, since we asked for his permission to do so.” Deuce said.

“Ah… Is that so?” You said, looking at the ground.

None of you moved, everyone just stayed deep in thought. It was as if time had suddenly froze.

Truth be told, you were feeling slightly anxious. You had just left behind your biological parents and family to be with a family that treats you better than them. Maybe it was because of your moral values and how you were taught to always love your family. But, you still were slightly unsure who was your true family.

The boys certainly took notice of your hesitation. They shared glances with each other for they were afraid that you would suddenly change your mind and want to go back to your ‘home’. They sincerely hoped that you wouldn’t do so, as it wasn’t easy living without you.

Suddenly, someone was laughing out loud. You looked up from the ground to see Ace laughing out loud.

“Ace? What’s so funny?” You asked.

“Ahaha, nothing, it’s just that… Remember the huge search party?” Ace said after calming down from his fit of laughter.

“Oh yeah! It was so chaotic!” Deuce said with a smile on his face.

“Search party?” You were confused, why was there a search party?

“We thought something bad happened to you when we found out you were missing, so, we had this giant search party just to look for you.” Deuce answered.

“It started when…” And Ace told you what had happened during your absence.

When they first found out that you were gone, Ace, Deuce and Grim searched high and low for you, afraid that something might’ve happened to you. When the other students, dorm leaders and vice dorm leaders caught wind of the news, a huge search party had been held in hopes of finding you. Everyone was worried and wanted to find you as soon as possible.

It wasn’t long before Crowley inspected the matter, after all, he couldn’t have his school in such a messy state. When he saw what everyone was doing, he assumed everyone was running around in his school without a purpose. But, something seemed off to him.

After all, it’s not like Riddle would run around carelessly, nor would Azul even run in the first place.

Leona awake and running? At this time? He should be taking his nap right now!

Kalim and Jamil flying on his magical carpet? Kalim never brings out his magical carpet out from his dorm!

Why is Vil searching in trash cans? Rook as well? Didn’t they swear to never even be a meter near a trash can?

Idia is out of his room?! AND climbing trees?!

Is… Malleus panicking?! But, he’s always seen with a calm expression all the time!

All in all, it wasn’t like them to act this way. Well, it wasn’t like them to act this way on a normal day. This made the headmaster so confused, he thought he was in an alternate universe.

That was, until Crowley managed to hear the words coming out from their mouth. It was a name. A very specific name indeed.

“(Y/N)!!” “(Y/N) Where are you?!” “(Y/N)!! This isn’t funny!!”

Crowley then understood everything and yelled everyone to stop what they were doing. Of course, everyone heard the loud voice of the headmaster and immediately stopped.

“Headmaster, not to be rude but, we’re trying to find (Y/N) right now.” Ace said to the headmaster.

“Everyone… You don’t have to.” Crowley said, dropping his head slightly.

“What? No, headmaster, you don’t understand!” Deuce said.

“(Y/N)’s gone!!” Grim continued, panic evident in his voice.

“No, (Y/N) isn’t gone.” Crowley stated calmly. He knew the students can’t really handle what he was going to say to them.

“Headmaster, what are you saying?” Riddle asked the caped figure.

“(Y/N)… Has gone back home.” Crowley said in a low voice.

“No, I’m certain he/she’s been kidnapped or something! If he/she went home, he/she would tell us yanno?!” Grim argued back.

“Yeah, it’s not like (Y/N) to not tell us if he/she’s going home!” Epel agreed with the furball. Your friends started to voice out their agreements as well.

“(Y/N) didn’t tell you all because he/she didn’t want to worry all of you. That’s why he/she left without a notice or a trace.” Crowley said.

“B-But!” Grim tried to protest, he couldn’t believe his ears after all. The one who accepted him, took care of him and loved him was gone? It couldn’t be true… right?

“(Y/N) is back in her home and that is final. Now, go back to your classes.” Crowley said before retreating back to his office.

Everyone was in shock. You left without anyone noticing nor even saying goodbye? They were kind of disappointed, but they knew if it was your wish to do so, so be it.

“Come on Grim, let’s get to class.” Ace said to the furball as everyone was leaving.

“Y-Yeah… Class…” Grim replied in a low and soft tone. He’s still in shock after all. As much as he wanted to believe Crowley was joking and that you were actually in Ramshackle Dorm, he knew it wasn’t true as Crowley would be panicking if you were actually gone. But, he wasn’t, so that must’ve meant that what Crowley had said was the truth. He felt like as if he had been slapped and brought back to reality.

And so, everyone carried on with their lives.

Or… At least tried to.

Inside, they knew that you accepted you as a piece of their world. (Hi, I’m very subtle with my references yes? UwU) Your presence was so strong, they couldn’t have ever imagined living without you. Yet here they are, living without you.

They tried to not have their true feelings show up on their faces. They tried going on about their daily lives without a care. They tried to not let your absence disturb their mood whatsoever.

Believe me Reader-san, they tried very hard. But, it wasn’t working. No matter how much they try, they feel a void in their hearts.

A void… Only you could fill.

Over time, their moods began to deteriorate.

The dorm leaders will be seen with their heads buried deep in their work, trying to distract themselves from your absence, even Kalim has gone silent. They didn’t want to be bothered at all by your absence. But, no matter how focused they were, they couldn’t do it. They knew they had built a good relationship with you since their overblottings. You always had little chats with the dorm leaders whenever you manage to catch them alone. You would always put a small smile on their faces whenever you started to have small talks with them and you would always smile back to them. They treasured your relationship with them dearly, after all, they were dorm leaders, not everyone who approached them was as willing as you. When they invited you to either have tea or just to chat with them, you accepted without any hesitation at all. They were glad that you weren’t scared of them even after seeing how dangerous and powerful they can get, especially during their overblottings. They were glad, that you were there to snap them out of their state, they were glad that they got to live safe and sound because of you.

Now, without you, they fear they can never have those quaint little walks and talks anymore.

The vice dorm leaders and upperclassmen are doing their best to support their respective dorm leaders. But, no matter how hard they tried to cheer their dorm leaders up, nothing works. They too had a strong relationship with you, thanks to their respective dorm leaders, they also spent a lot of time with you whenever you came to their dorms for tea or just to hang out with their first years. You would also lend a hand to them whenever they needed it, let it be taking care of the dorm leaders or the other residents of the dorms, you were always happy and ready to help them. And also, thanks to them, you learned quite the set of skills in cooking! You couldn’t help it, the vice dorm leaders are always seen in the kitchen, prepping for food for their dorms, the smell and looks of the food lured you in and you started to help them instead. Of course, you get to taste test the final products.

With that being said, they too felt a little moody without you around. After all, you’ve helped them so much.

Your best friends, the first years, they had it bad. Sure, for the first two days Ace, Deuce, Epel, Jack and Sebek went on their merry way, with Ace and Deuce fighting over everything, Epel trying to be silent but he secretly wants to join in on the fights, Jack trying to separate the fight and Sebek was worried for Malleus instead of helping to separate the two quarrelling Heartslabyul first years. But then, they began to notice that it wasn’t the same without you. Jokes weren’t as funny anymore, classes were more boring than usual, activities and outings weren’t as exciting and fun as they used to be. After classes, your friends would immediately go back to their respective dorms instead of hang around on campus. They would be so much more silent and gloomy those days and like their dorm leaders, they distracted themselves with work. But, every time they would still think of you. How could they not? Almost everything reminded them of you. The wind that would gently breeze through your hair, the notes that you gave to them while they fell asleep in Trein’s classes, the potions that you messed up during Crewel’s classes.

To them, you were literally a piece of their world. (I’ll stop now :’) ) And without you, their world is incomplete.

Grim, the creature you loved dearly and took care of had it the worst. To him, you were the reason why he was even able to be at this prestigious college in the first place. Heck, you gave him more things than anyone ever did in his entire life! You cared for him with all your heart and so did he! So, why didn’t you tell him, the one who loved you the most, about your departure? WHY?! Why did you exclude him from something so important to you?! He was heartbroken at first, he should’ve noticed your change in attitude a few days ago but why didn’t he? He was disappointed in himself for not noticing and for not caring enough. Every day, after classes, he would immediately come to Ramshackle Dorm and sit in front of the building, looking at the door, wishing, hoping that it would open once again with you on the other side, your smile greeting him as it always did first thing in the morning and receiving a hug from you like any other day. He wanted more than anything to tell you that he loved and cared for you before you left.

But, it was too late now, wasn’t it?

Everyone’s mood didn’t go unnoticed by Crowley of course. He knew how your departure had affected his students, because it had also affected him too. You see, Crowley treated you like his very own child. When he let you and Grim stay at Ramshackle Dorm, you gave him a smile that melted his heart immediately. He knew he must protect you since you had no magic after all and in order to survive in Twisted Wonderland, one must at least know the basics of magic right?

He provided you with shelter, food and clothing, like any parent would. And you looked to him as if he was your father as well! You actually loved to have tea with him and tell him all sorts of stories you went through involving you and his students. He treated you as family and you did as well. So, your absence has also affected him gravely.

At last, no one could take it anymore.

On the third day of your departure, Ace and Deuce walked past Ramshackle Dorm after classes one day to find Grim at his spot, looking at the door again. Once they saw his expression, they felt slightly angered. They couldn’t bear to see the creature so broken.

“I can’t take this anymore!!” Ace suddenly yelled out. Deuce and Grim turned to look at him.

“Ace…” Deuce said.

“I can’t live like this… It’s… It’s not like us!” Ace said.

“You’re right… We need (Y/N) back.” Deuce replied, deep in thought.

“How do we do that?” Ace asked as he went to pick up the gloomy furball.

“Fgnaaaaa, it’s not like (Y/N) would want to come back even if we found her.” Grim said, but Ace and Deuce ignored him, they could at least try to get you back right?

“Why don’t we ask Headmaster for any options?” Deuce said.

“Well, we could give it a try.” Ace said. “Come on Grim, we can’t give up hope yet.” And so, the three of them set off to find the Headmaster.

“You… Want to get (Y/N) back?” Crowley asked the two students and one creature that stood in front of him.

“Yes, we would like to try.” Deuce said.

“… You do know it was (Y/N)’s wish to return home right?” Crowley asked again.

“We are aware.” Deuce replied again.

“What if (Y/N) doesn’t want to come back?”

“Look! No matter what happens, we would like to try! And even if (Y/N) doesn’t want to come back, as long as he/she’s happy, we’ll be satisfied!” Ace said with a loud voice, lowering his head. Deuce and Grim doing the same.

“We… just want to know (Y/N)’s happy back home.” The three of them said at the same time.

This… Shocked Crowley. Never has he seen any students at Night Raven College doing this much for a student who couldn’t even use magic. He was truly touched. The headmaster suddenly stood up, making the three first years jump a little.

“Right, go grab a broom and meet me in the field.” Crowley said.

“… And that’s how we arrived in your world.” Ace said. You were flabbergasted, everyone felt that way about you? You silently scolded yourself for not leaving a note or notice informing them about your departure, but most of all, you couldn’t help but feel like you were guilty of making them feel that way. You were so sorry to everyone.

“So… How did you guys find me?” You asked the trio.

“You took the ghost camera with you right?” Ace said with a smile.

“The camera emits magical energy. Since you said your world didn’t have magic, we felt the magic emitting off from the camera and found your home right away.” Deuce continued. You were shocked, the camera itself emitted magic energy and you didn’t know at all.

“But… We… Wanted to ask.” Ace spoke up.

“Why… Were you crying?” Grim asked. You looked at everyone as you took a gulp.

“Ah… You saw… Well…” You started and told what had happened after going back ‘home’.

After hearing the reason why you were silently crying in your room when they went to your room, Ace, Deuce and Grim could feel their blood boiling. How dare they do that to you? You weren’t a slave! You were someone special! Someone that matters and needs love! Someone that they care for with their hearts!

“Hah… I don’t think they even noticed I was gone anyway. Heck, they probably were glad that I was gone.” You said, ending your side of the story. You looked up to see your friends looking at you in worry.

“But, believe me, I remembered you guys every single moment when I was ‘home’. I’m so sorry for leaving in the first place, I didn’t mean to make you guys feel that way. I’m so sorry.” You said, looking down and letting tears fall out from your eyes.

“(Y/N)…” Ace, Deuce and Grim said, before reaching out to hug you.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize, as long as you’re happy, we’re happy.” Deuce said.

“Yeah, we couldn’t bear to see the one that brought smiles upon our faces be sad.” Ace continued.

“Thanks you guys…” You smiled and hugged them back.

After a few seconds, you guys pulled away from the hug.

“Come on, let’s go in, I’m pretty tired.” You said, walking up to Ramshackle Dorm’s main door and opening it.

Only to find a group of people waiting inside. No, wait. They were everyone you ever knew at Night Raven College!

The dorm leaders, Riddle, Leona, Azul, Kalim, Vil, Idia and Malleus.

The upperclassmen and vice dorm leaders, Trey, Cater, Ruggie, Jade, Floyd, Jamil, Rook, Lilia and Silver.

Your best friends, Jack, Epel and Sebek.

Even the staff, Crowley, Crewel, Trein, Vargas and Sam.

Even little Ortho!

“(Y/N)!!!” The group except the staff rushed to you and tackled you, Ace, Deuce and Grim in a hug.

“Welcome home, (Y/N)!!” Everyone said to you while hugging you. You smiled with tears in your eyes before saying a response to them.

“Yeah, I’m home.”

931 notes · View notes

anightflower · 4 years ago

Text

Come and Find Me

Chapter 3: Ring, Ring!

Things are heating up my loves!

Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Violence, swearing

Masterlist here

“Breaking news. After countless weeks of Quantico in fear, the murderer of five innocent women has been caught. Andrew Curtis, age 29 has been accused of first degree murder and will face trial in these upcoming weeks. Curtis was caught before laying his hands on his 6th victim, 24 year old Emily Bloise-”

You groaned, awakening to the sound of the TV blasting the news. You didn’t even remember turning it on before going to bed last night. Hell, you don’t even remember falling asleep. You pulled the blankets over your head to block out the noise, as you shifted your legs, you heard a jingling of chains and became aware of the cold clasped around your ankle.

Your body jolted fully awake and you shot up as everything came crashing back to you. You hadn’t been able to sleep last night, you were too nervous for your presentation tomorrow. You were meeting with the one and only Lila Archer. She had gotten word of your design company and was so impressed with your work, she had contacted you to meet with her to discuss designing her vacation “workspace” home in Florida. This was your first celebrity job that would most certainly put you in the big leagues if you got it right or put you six feet under if she hated it. So needless to say your brain would not shut down for the night.

You had given up on the idea of falling asleep on the rock hard bed the hotel had provided you. Instead you had thrown on some shorts and one of Spencer’s oversized t-shirts you had stolen from him and made your way to get some snacks from the convenience store that was just up the block from your hotel.

You cautiously made your way up the street, pepper spray in hand. It was 3am and you were no idiot. You were still haunted by the Andrew Curtis case, and you knew deep down so was Spencer. He had gotten you new pepper spray, a pocket knife, and a keychain alarm after the case. He made you promise to carry it everywhere you went and you had held to that promise. It was the haunted look in his eyes that had bothered you the most.

The bell on the door let at a shrill ring as you entered the store. You gave a small smile and a wave to the man behind the register which he returned. It looked like you were his first customer in a while.

You wondered the aisles waiting for a snack to catch your eye, when the bell rang again signaling that someone else had entered. You didn’t really pay much attention to it, as you were focused on your very important task at hand; salty or sweet.

That’s when you caught movement out of the corner of your eye. It was a male silhouette. You struggled to make out any of his features. He had his hood up, with a ball cap pulled low to block his face. Yet even without seeing them, you could still feel his eyes on you.

Ice went down your spine. Something was not right about this, and you always trusted your instincts. Grabbing a random bag of chips and some chocolate covered pretzels you walked quickly over to the register. You could feel the hooded guy’s eyes burning into you even as you handed your money over to the cashier.

The cashier didn’t seem to pick up on your discomfort and took his merry time with your purchase. You rushed out of there as soon as he handed you your change and bag.

You had the urge to call Spencer, but you didn’t want to wake him up if you were just being paranoid, he hardly got enough sleep as it was.

Glancing over your shoulder, you realized there was no one behind you. You slowed down a bit and caught your breath, chastising yourself for letting your fear get the best of you.

That's when you felt a muscular arm encircle your waste. You began to thrash and scream, but a cloth was thrust over your mouth and with one inhale, you were met with darkness.

And now you were here; a dingy little room with soundproof walls and chains on your ankles.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” You whispered glancing around. Your fear doubled when your eyes landed on the small TV near the foot of your bed. On it was reruns of the news footage for the Andrew Curtis case. The news footage recapturing every horrific detail.

You got out of the bed slowly, trying to figure out how to move with the chains around your ankles, and began to take stock of anything that could be made a weapon, but the room did not have much. You paused when you realized this room held details that looked like they were taken right from your home.

The gray and white duvet was exactly like the one you had on your bed in your apartment, it’s complex design hard to miss. The lamp on the bedside table, which was unfortunately glued down, was the exact replica of the one you had found while thrifting. How this person managed to get a similar one, you had no idea. You shivered when you realized there were cameras all over the room. One in each corner of the room, one on top of the TV and one glued to the bedside table.

You slowly made your way towards a curtain blocking off something. You took a deep breath and ripped it open, only to find a tiny bathroom with a toilet, sink, and a door. You rushed to the door and attempted to open it. The doorknob rattled, it was locked.

A voice boomed from a PA system above. “Aw my darling, you’re awake!” The voice was clearly distorted to sound deeper. You nearly jumped out of your skin. “I’m sorry your quarters aren’t that nice, but don’t worry, after we win the game, you and I are going to go someplace where you’ll have everything you’ve ever desired.”

“Who the hell are you?” You growled, your head whipping back and forth to see if there was anyone in the room. “Someone who cares very much about you. Someone who’s been in the shadows waiting for you for a long time.”

“Why don’t you come out and show your face instead of hiding behind a little PA voice system? Only a coward hides in the shadows.” You growled trying to seem unafraid, but your body trembled.

“Oh no my sweet, there is a game afoot and as tempted as I am to reveal myself, I have something better in mind and I can’t have you ruining it.” He purred.

“Why the fuck am I here?”

“Because darling, I had to open your eyes. You’ve been blinded by awe for your Doctor and you need to see the truth! He doesn’t deserve you, he can’t give you what I can! He leaves you so often, discarding you like a broken toy, only to return later to pick up the pieces.” The voice hissed.

If you weren’t so terrified you would have laughed in the man’s face. “You’re wrong. Spencer is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” You argued.

“You’re a love-struck blind bitch who can’t see the truth.” The voice snarled. “He took so much away from me and I won't let him take you away too. He disgusts me. Stumbling around spewing bullshit and everyone regards him as a God. Guess I am the devil who has to show him the truth.”

________________________________________________________________

Reid glanced around your room, he hated how nothing seemed out of place. Part of him wished it was ransacked so he could find a clue as to who the unsub was, so he could see wrath or vengeance or some sort of motive, but there was nothing.

Instead he just saw you everywhere. You liked to joke that your room was organized chaos. You had a large calendar above your cream-colored desk with important dates and meetings on it, color coded by importance, yet your desk had your design plans and pencils strewn about it. Pictures of you and Spencer were taped up precariously around the calendar. Cliché photo-booth pictures that you had begged Spencer for, silly selfies you had taken of the two of you, and some pictures you had snuck of Spencer when he wasn’t looking.

Spencer ripped his gaze away as his heart shattered. He instead dragged his gaze around from that glancing at your bookshelves nearby. Design, fantasy, and sci-fi books were strewn all about the shelves. Spencer dragged his hand along the spines, remembering how you had teasingly refused to read any of Spencer’s “real-world” books. “The real world is too boring, I need my escapism and magic.” You said, sticking your tongue out at him as you had gone to the adult fantasy section of your favorite bookstore. Spencer had followed you, eager to explain the science magic tricks he knew.

Spencer shook his head, he needed to focus, yet every part of your room held a precious memory. He made his way to your bed, smoothing out the ornate pattern of your gray and white duvet. Your bed was made, each fluffy blanket folded and decorative pillow in place.

The thing that truly hit Spencer was the lone stuffed animal that sat on the bed. It was a chubby bumblebee stuffed animal. Spencer had surprised you with it, after he witnessed you squeal in delight at it through a storefront window. You had claimed it was your most prized possession and that he would be your snuggle buddy when Spencer was away on cases.

Emily popped her head in through the door. “Hey Reid, any luck? I didn’t find anything.”

Spencer glanced up at her. “No, everything looks normal. Not a damn thing out of place.”

“Who’s that you’re holding?” Emily asked gently.

“Reid. (Y/N) named him that, he would be by her side when I was away. (Y/N) joked that he protected her while I was away. A lot of good he did for her.” Spencer grumbled, shoving the bee back onto the bed.

That’s when it caught his eye. The empty picture frame. The one that usually held the photo of you and Spencer, the one that had been mutilated and sent to him in a Curtis-like box.

Spencer observed the frame, turning it this way and that. He heard the tiniest rustling sound of something moving within the frame. He opened the back of it and a folded up piece of paper fell out.

Emily rushed to Spencer’s side to see what it said. Spencer slowly reached to pick up the paper and opened it.

Good job Doctor! You found something. Hopefully you find her on time! Ring, ring!

Emily looked at Spencer confused. “Ring, ring?” As if on cue Spencer’s phone began to ring. “What’s up, Garcia?” Spencer asked urgently.

“You need to get back to base, now.” Garcia sounded like she was near tears.

________________________________________________________________

You tried to tear your eyes away from the screen, but you couldn’t. The news reruns had turned into home videos that Curtis had made. You remember how Reid had explained that they had found the camera Andrew Curtis had used, but no physical films had been found. “Like they had disappeared.” He had said.

It had driven him and his team nuts because Curtis had worked alone, so who could have taken the film?

“Aren’t they beautiful darling?” The voice crackled through the PA. “Drew and I put so much work into them. It’s a work of art that Picasso would envy.”

“It’s perverse and disgusting, and it proves how truly sick you and Curtis are!.” You yelled, holding back a sob.

“Yet, part of you can’t bear to look away can you? Have you noticed yet?” He purred.

You didn’t answer, tears flowed down your cheeks.

He chuckled at your silence.

“Oh you have, haven’t you? I bet you thought it was a sick coincidence that they looked like you, huh?” He mocked. “Drew told me all about the haunted looks in your Doctor’s eyes. How weak your Doctor was, how your Doctor could never find them in time. They were always dead before they got there.”

“Spencer worked his ass off to catch Curtis. He managed to stop him and he saved so many more lives than what Andrew Curtis took. Spencer is not weak for not getting there in time. Curtis is sick for killing those girls in the first place!” You snarled through your tears.

“Ah, ah, ah darling. Drew is not a sick man, he’s a hero. He was like the big brother I never had, he protected me, he made sure even when he was caught I was not. Nobody would know I was even involved with him, so I could achieve my goal of having you- of putting that ridiculous Doctor in his place.”

You remained silent, your body trembling at his confession. Whoever this man was he had worked with Andrew Curtis and he had done it just to get you.

“Every girl was a mere tool to prepare me for when I got my hands on you. Drew told me my time would come. Even when he was caught, we wrote letters back and forth, we had a code you see. Nobody really trusts communication between a prior serial killer and innocent boy, they’ll corrupt you apparently. But we found a way around those who separated us. You see, Drew, my guide, my brilliant mentor, the man who taught me so many things, was right, now I have you right in my hands.”

“What are you going to do?” You asked terrified.

“Play a game.” You could hear the smile in the man’s voice.

________________________________________________________________

TAGLIST:

@andiebeaword @haylaansmi @parkastoria @possessedjoker @amronsparty@generaltheoristexpert @sierraraeck @coniumalces @tamedbyafox@anotherr-fine-mess @adoregin @rainsong01 @canyonnmoonn @mggshoe @boxofsparklingmuses @richardpapensmuse @deanlenaz @rainsong01@goldentournesol @annesauriol @itsametaphorbriansblog@secretpickleprofessordean @shameleswhorehourstm @stepsofthefbi @iifloweringnightsii @mggsprettygirl @bravegirl221 @messyhairday-me @n1ghtsh4d3-67 @abbeypaw7 @findmedontlooseme@hiiwouldlikesomesleepplease @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @thatsonezesty13

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x reader smut #spencer x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #anightflowerwrites #anightflower writes #anightflowermasterlist

155 notes · View notes

ktheist · 5 years ago

Text

1 | friend in me.

“don’t confuse your party friends with your real friends.” (x)

muses. party friend!jungkook x reader ft. bestfriend!taehyung ft. ex-boyfriend!namjoon

genre. university au. fwb. f2l.

words. 6.1k

warnings. mentions of break up, mild exhibition, alcohol use, future mentions of joint, future smut, mature content

alternative title. to my dear friend.

final part. exclusives only (x)

note. this fic hasn’t been showing up in searches no matter how many times i repost and it’s got a special place in my heart so i really want it to reach the audience, that’s why i made a few changes in hopes to beat the odds lol. enjoy!

striking up an unlikely pact to look out for each other’s backs at parties, is the last thing you expect to do with jeon jungkook. sure, you may or may not find a reason to laugh at his lousy antics and corny pick up lines - he’s also a great kisser but that’s besides the point.

the point is, you’d like to keep him as that - the friend that you meet at parties and parties only. so when you see him on your campus grounds, naturally your first instinct is to stop, turn the opposite way you’re heading and where he’s coming from - and start fast-walking to the other end of the campus like the devil is after you.

except that devil comes in the form of denim jacket, white undershirt and wavy dark hair that easily falls over doe eyes that seem to sparkle when you freeze at the sound of your name and turn around to face him with an awkward smile.

he breaks into a mini jog, leaving his friends that you’ve never seen before, behind. your own friends who you’ve been walking with and ditched at the sight of him, gawping at you and the new face from the spot where you decided to leave them at.

why couldn’t they have gone on their merry way - regardless if you’d paused and trekked to the opposite direction you were heading to?

jungkook skids to a stop in front of you, pretty pink lips quirking after he tilted his head to shift his hair out of his eyes instead of pushing it back with his hands.

“hey,” he greets, glancing down at his scuffing vans before meeting your gaze again, the tip of his tongue running over his bottom lip before retreating back into his mouth, leaving a sheen of moistness on his lips, “i didn’t know you went here.”

willing yourself to smile, you push your hair to the back of your ear before wrapping your arms around your chest, “yeah,” you drag out with an awkward chuckle, not as oblivious as he is of the stolen glances coming from the people passing through the walkway.

“what are you doing here though?” you notice his own friends that he ditched waiting for him several feet away - a group of attractive men and women who clearly belong to the equally high place group from your own faculty.

and yet here he is, talking to you - the ghost with rounded glasses sitting atop her nose and faded chapsticks on her lips. out of all the days you could have looked more zombie-esque, jungkook had to show up at your faculty today.

he’s nice enough not to point it out though as his lips turn into an ‘o’ shape. if you focus, you’d probably see the light bulb going off in his head as the answer to your question hits him. though at this point, you’ve already been hit by your own realization of the reason for there being more people walking around with mechanical appendages and remote control of every kinds. it must be-

“we’re here for the robocup tournament,” he grins, excitement apparent in the way his eyes seem to widen as you can almost hear the screws in his brains working before the question tumbles out of his mouth-

“what about you? are you joining?”

you want to laugh.

and that’s the thing about jungkook - he’s so good at reading you that he knows something’s up. brows knitting together, “what’s... up?”

the shaking of your head is purely reactionary - you’ve made a few friends who came around to compete at times your faculty was the one to hosted it, like now. it’s not as serious as it seemed to be but it’s not entirely something you joke around either since it involved someone’s blood, sweat and tears to make the cut but-

“guess you haven’t heard about the long standing tradition of the circuit breaker’s string pulling. the competition’s rigged.” despite your too willing trip down memory land, you still let your eyes dart around in case anyone’s listening. after you’re sure no one was, only then do you finally go on, “every year, they pick a judge’s kid as part of the team - even if they weren’t enrolled in seollyu and were in some other non-robotics related university, they’ll get close to them and keep them around until the competition. one year, one of them even went as far as dating a judge’s daughter when they couldn’t recruit her into their team.”

swallowing down the bile, you pretend not to notice the complete downturn of his lips as you roll your shoulders in a shrug out of the need of having something to do that doesn’t require focusing on the conflicted, purse lipped frown on jungkook’s face.

“oh wow, we never heard anything like that in beongju.” he murmurs, eyes drawn to the grass a feet away as he contemplates.

“it’s okay, what matters is you guys have fun.” you wave a dismissive hand, smile more natural but still sporting its awkward tucks.

“yeah,” jungkook nods before he meets your gaze, smiling in a half-hearted attempt to ease his own mind, “who knows? maybe this year, beongju will come out victorious.”

you nod, chest blooming with hope - a wishful thinking perhaps, “maybe.”

it’s when his eyes twinkle with a different kind of excitement that you know the matter of the competition is past him, and that’s your cue to go.

“hey, are you-“

“i have a class to-

you both stop at the same time, staring at the other for the longest moment before jungkook offers for you to continue, “you first.”

“um,” you would have deflect it back to him out of politeness. that is, if you didn’t know that he was going to ask you if you were free. possibly to grab lunch or a smoothie somewhere. but that’s the thing, outside of parties, you’re a completely different person altogether. right now, you’re the all-work, no-play study-hard. none of your equally study hard friends are aware of how you are at parties - none of the people you know, know how you are at parties because you made sure to attend only those you’re sure you wouldn’t run into acquaintances. of course it’s difficult and there are a few familiar faces you can identify as people from your faculty at every party but barely which is a safe amount. so it doesn’t make sense to break the unspoken, mutual understanding of the core you and jungkook’s friendship is built on. he might have forgotten how important it was for you that you were strictly ‘fun’ friends, so it’s your job to remind him, “i have class right now.”

you take a step back in preparation to bolt towards said nonexistent on-going class, “but hey, good luck on robocup. oh yeah, what were you gonna tell me?”

jungkook’s “oh - uh,” shouldn’t have sent waves of relief to you the way it does, but when he mumbles a “nothing - it was nothing.” you couldn’t help but suppress a grateful sigh.

on any other occasion, with a person completely separate from jeon jungkook, you would have pressed on - encouraged them to say what they initially wanted to say. but instead, you shoot him a smile, “oh -okay. guess i’ll see you around?”

“uh,” it’s clear as day that he doesn’t want to just leave it up to chance to bump into you in this big building with at least a thousand occupants coming and going everyday throughout the competition but the way smacks his lips shut tells you he there’s something holding him back, so he settles with a, “yeah... see you around.”

“you know,” you pause, tendrils of reluctance forbidding you from relaying the tale of how you and jungkook met in hopes it was indicative enough but judging from the way jisoo has her eyebrows raised, lisa with her knowing smile, taehyung and jimin expectantly waiting but with the first actually shooting you an meaningful stare - it seems like you have no choice but to say it-

“we spoke a few times at different parties and realize we have the same party mutual and get invited to the same parties so... we decided to hang together... at parties.”

“hang,” lisa echoes, underlying tone couldn’t have been more obvious as she grins from ear to ear.

“please, no way in hell do you just hang with jeon fucking jungkook when there’s booze and a dozen of empty rooms involved.” jisoo comes barreling through like a bulldozer, hands in the air as she squeals at whatever scenario her mind is cooking up in her head.

laughter trickles out of your mouth as you hide your face in your palms in an attempt to avoid jisoo and lisa’s eyes and the things that they’re hinting at with a mere gaze.

“why?” taehyung’s baritone finally hits the air as he leans back against the recliner. once the silence settles in a second later and all eyes turn his way, he adds, “not that it’s any of our business but,” he shrugs, “he’s not really your crowd - not any of our crowd.”

that’s the million dollar question. taehyung hates beers and crowded places - which is a surprise given his social butterfly-ness among all five of you. jimin, jisoo and lisa do go parties - those that your closest friends would be at. otherwise, they aren’t adventurous as you.

maybe jimin has a another side that you don’t know - it’s a known fact that he has other friends. dance friends, drinking friends, and whatever type of people with similar interests who flock a certain direction.

just like how you had jungkook and the group of friends you hung out with at parties.

“i mean, my dance friends aren’t exactly your kind of crowd either,” jimin interjects from the floor, head lulled to the back to look at taehyung, “remember how you wanted to avoid hoseok at all costs after i brought you to a practice once?”

“yeah,” you instantly second, hand gesturing to the man in a ‘exactly what he said’ manner before turning to the taller guy, “everyone makes friends where their usual friends aren’t.”

“i guess,” he cedes after what felt like the longest pause in your history of friendship.

it is that moment, just as your muscles begin to relax, that your phone dings with a notification. unbeknownst to you that you still command the attention in the entire room, you cluelessly let check out the new text message.

koo: we lost ):

“it’s him.” lisa announces, the bed shaking as she scoots away when you try to swat her thigh.

“and she has him saved as koo,” she - without any trace of intentionally constructed pun, coos, hands clasped together next to her tilted head as she bumps it with jisoo who’s mimicking her gestures.

“he just texted to say he lost,” you clarify, shaking your head at the two girls’ antics.

not that it changes anything as jisoo leans her whole body against lisa, an arm on her forehead in a troubled manner, “now i wish i had a boyfriend.”

lisa hums in agreement, her long limbs extending to wrap around the older girl’s torso as she rests her chin on top of jisoo’s dark brown tresses.“me too, sweetie. me too.”

typing out a ‘i’m so sorry. it’s okay they don’t deserve your talent anyway ):’ with a mixture of emojis, you hit send just before turning to what jimin is saying.

“...go to one. i heard alpha sig is having one tomorrow,” then he turns to you, as though you bear an abundance of knowledge about which place is having a party and on what day, “right ____?”

it takes you a moment to piece together what he said. you didn’t hear the beginning but you’re sure it’s something along the lines of jimin setting the two lonely singles to break their 2 month no-party streak and maybe get that boyfriend they wanted.

“jimin, i’m not sure,” you say shortly before turning to the two girls,“not that that many good, upstanding citizen of men go to the parties i went to though but maybe there’s a miracle waiting for you girls,” you smile in genuine hopefulness while referring to an entirely hopeless place. but it turns into an emphatic one as the two girls fake cry about the minimal chance they have to get a - in what you could make out of jisoo’s fake bawling - hot, sexy party boyfriend. whatever that meant.

you don’t have the time to confirm it when your phone dings again.

koo: thanks i can always count on you to be real w me 🥺🥰

another grey bubble pops pushes the text you’re reading upwards.

koo: you coming to alpha sig’s party?

koo: we have to be here for the closing ceremony tmr anyway

koo: help me make good memories before i leave seollyu 🥺

you suppress the urge to roll your eyes at that. he’s only been here for one day and he got invited to one of the most hard-to-get-in parties on the campus.

naturally, you and jimin were invited from your underlying reputations. and naturally, whoever you bring is invited too.

except you’re not a fan of going to parties that you know you’d meet the exact people you didn’t want to meet.

lisa peeks at your phone the second time - and you didn’t even notice until she screams, “___’s going to alpha sig’s!”

“oh my god, will he be there?” jisoo leans her entire body over lisa in a reckless abandon to get a peek of what the younger one saw only to have you hold your phone away.

“um? privacy? anyone?” you offer while jisoo pouts.

“duh, she’s going because of him.” lisa says im a matter-of-factly, “otherwise, she wouldn’t even entertain the thought of going to any party infested with people we already had to see sober.”

“am not.” you counter, the matter of replying already long forgotten as you cross your arms over your chest, phone tucked in between the side of your boob and hand, “if i’m going, it’d be because i want to!”

“so you’re going?” jisoo blinks, eyes twinkling with hope. so are lisa’s.

you have no choice but to turn your cheek to a laughing park jimin on the floor. his pupils disappearing behind his lids. clearly, he’s not going to back you up. so you turn to the only other person who you thought would.

“if tae’s going then i’ll go,” you declare, already feeling the triumph of what the man would choose from his precedent choices. “not that you guys need me to get in since jimin’s already-“

“sure.” the taller man announces.

you’re forced to make a double take while your jaw drops in your lap along with jisoo and lisa’s while jimin blinks in surprise from your periphery.

completely conscious of the gazes boring into his skull, taehyung attempts to casually shrug it off as a- “since you guys are going, you know.”

jisoo yelps in celebration before going “great, who’s up for some chicken?” shooting up and sending the mattress shaking as she takes big steps over your legs and hops off the bed. hands planted on her hips, she glances around the room with the residue of a pleased smile from the decision of all five of you finally going to a party together.

“me!” lisa follows suit with the exception that she’s crawling on her hands and knees to get off the bed.

“me but i don’t want to get up.” jimin whines, unmoving from his spot which is lying on the fluffed pink carpet as taehyung’s birthday present to his otherwise creme themed room.

“come on, park. get your ass off the floor and to the parking lot - get it, park jimin goes to the parking lot?” jisoo begins tugging on his wrist, the sight rather comical considering how she’s trying to make a man twice her size sit up, let alone move to get to the car seeing as he’s the only one with one.

lisa shares a doubtful look with you and taehyung at the poorly made pun, questioning why jimin seems to be the only one chuckling but then again, he’s always been the easiest to entertain.

after huffing and puffing, jisoo finally plucks the boy off the floor. but getting him to walk the distance from his apartment to the car is another feat.

it’s when their voices echo in the hallway, and you and a certain taller man is left in the room, do you notice the difference in this silence compared to the rest as he pushes himself up.

“are you going for real?” you finally ask, throwing your feet over the bed.

taehyung’s lips pucker as he contemplates the pros and cons, “what’ll i do if i don’t go? binge watch maze runner and be reminded of the fact that all third movies suck?”

maybe he doesn’t hate parties as much as you initially thought. after all, it’s been a year since he vomited all over kim sowon while making out on the couch at alpha sig’s.

you grin, elbowing the man as you both make your way out of the room, “hey, maybe you could find yourself a girlfriend while you’re at it.”

taehyung’s laugh doesn’t reach his eyes but you chalk it up with the jitters of the thought of having alcohol course through his veins and surrounded by bodies on the dance floor, “huh, yeah.”

the day fly by between getting to classes and getting lunch - it was a feat to convince everyone to go to dumpling place just a little bit off campus but you’d managed and subsequently successfully avoided running into jungkook for the day.

“bih, what the fuck?” lisa gawks, jaw descended to the ground as she stares at your mini black crop top that stops a few inches above your high-waist ripped jeans.

if you didn’t show up to classes in sweats and oversized sweaters, round glasses and hair always up in your laziness to make them look presentable - every day, maybe your ability to throw on some eye make up and highlights over your foundation wouldn’t have been so much as a surprise.

unlike you, your friends have always been on top of their game when it comes to appearing like functioning members of society. the clothes they have now have also been worn to class before - that’s how you know their confidence is sky high while yours require a little bit of help depending on what you wear.

why they decided to adopt a munchkin like you into their otherwise perfect clique, you’ll never know - but maybe it had something to do with you looking like a lost puppy in your first year with your round glasses and the thick books you carry around. it was a matter of time you ran into someone and drop them - that someone being jisoo.

after that, the rest was history - your prejudices towards groups of attractive people have never been so diminished.

your hair bounces gently as you hop into the passenger seat, giggling shyly at the attention you’ve garnered with your otherwise usual getup for a fun time.

“if i knew you won’t have any problems surviving off skinny jeans and cute tops, i would have burned those baggy clothes a long time ago.” jisoo confesses, red lips curled into an impressed ‘o’ as she takes in your appearance.

you gasp, truly offended to know your day-to-day choice of outfit has never been any of your friend’s preference yet only now do they make it known - talk about fake friends! “don’t you insult my comfy clothes like that!”

a light bump on her shoulder forces her to tear her gaze away and turn her cheek to the grinning girl next to her, “maybe she has a reason to dress cute.”

and just like that, the two breaks out into coos. sending you signals with their entire face muscles as jimin chuckles from the driver’s seat.

“but you know, this is how ___ usually dress up for parties even like before she met jungkook.”

you send praises to the gods for sending you this blessing of a friend as you fix the two girls a smirk, posing like a model as much as the cramped space allows you, “nah, i got it from my momma.”

an onslaught of protest - denials - mixed with cheers erupt as you begin to poorly mimic that of models with your limbs pointing in every direction and body bending in weird angles. it doesn’t take long before laughter tumbles out of everyone’s mouth, the front seaters included - taehyung had achingly turned in his seat to attend your fashion show while jimin stole glances in the rearview mirror.

yoo jeongyeon is the first to wave you over. if there’s a grey area where party friends and real friends merge together, it’ll be her. you’ve gone to parties together and had fun - though the last time you did, you ended up waking up on the same bed with some guy on the floor.

jin? jun? jeong? j-something grinned when he woke up to the sight of you two, “so... can i get you girls’ number?”

jeongyeon didn’t bother to hold back her grimace and you’d strutted into the bathroom as if you didn’t hear him.

“kim taehyung, lisa manoban and kim jisoo.” she studies each one with an impressed, “how did jimin and ____ manage to haul your asses out and over here?’

“the single life they’ve been walking has finally slapped them in the face and they finally want-“ you get cut off by lisa’s fake chuckle that sounds every bit forced.

“-wasted.”

“-boyfriends!”

they end up saying at the same time. while jisoo is finds no fault in her confession, lisa’s face is heating up - coming second next to you when it comes to shying back into her shell when topics like these come to light.

“taehyung too.” jisoo hooks her hand around the aforementioned man’s arm, stopping him from slowly disappearing into the crowd like a certain park jimin has, her other one around younger girl.

“jeongyeon, you have introduce us to cute guys or we’ll end up dying from all this single-ness!”

at that, the woman burst into laughter, hand on her stomach as she tries and fails to suppress it.

“i don’t know,” she wipes a tear from the corner of her eyes, “isn’t that more of ____’s specialty?”

“uh,” it takes a heartbeat for you to register what jeongyeon is saying before the same heart in your chest crashes against the ground at her next words.

“everyone knows,” a meaningful smile quirks on her lips, “about you and-“

“i- uh, i think i heard jackson calling me - something about a group project.” you quickly say, cursing yourself for the less than plausible excuse to get away.

and the three girls think so too as they call you out for it but you don’t stop until they’re out of earshot and out of the spotlight, ending up at a table full of booze.

you pop a can open, letting the bitter taste wash over your suddenly dry throat. the alcohol hasn’t got to you yet but you know it will and maybe that’s the only thing you have going on as you walk around, waving to people you know and lingering to talk with some, noticing that most of them are halfway to getting drunk.

some time later, you spot jisoo, lisa and jeongyeon dancing with some of your close friends. beer in their hands. you wonder how they’re going to find a boyfriend or even a hook up if they just keep to their circle - that was the clear as day distinction between you and them.

where they feel the most comfortable surrounded with familiar faces - regardless of whether they like them - you find comfort on a room full of strangers and the knowledge that you wouldn’t see them anymore after that.

but that wasn’t the case for jungkook. after one too many parties and several ‘hey, i was hoping i’d see you’s, a sense of camaraderie starts forming. of course, rules don’t apply where it would in a normal, socially sober setting.

you were friends as much as you were fucking like rabbits. finding comfort in mornings where you wake up without a sense of recollection, a throbbing headache and a lump of body underneath the sheets only to sigh in relief upon finding out who it was as though to say ‘oh thank god it’s you and not some rando i won’t know how to politely kick out while emphasizing that i have class in like 5.’

you embark on a visual searching journey to look for the same boy who wouldn’t mind if you had to shut the door in his half-awake face on mornings you had to get ready for class and still smiled at you later that night when you meet at a different party - until your gaze lands on a pair of brown eyes.

instead of wide and doe-like, the one that captured yours are hooded and heavy, boring into the windows of your soul. all of a sudden, you’re brought back to the same time last year. back when you were just a freshie with a stomach full of butterflies as you shyly look away from those piercing eyes.

but now, all you feel is your stomach rearranging and bile almost rising to your throat as you take a swig of the beer before melding into the crowd.

alpha sig is known for their closeness with circuit breaker, having been been sponsored by your own faculty for those with outstanding achievements to stay on-campus.

but none of the circuit breakers ever come to these parties - or at least, he never did.

almost as though the stars and planets aligned to manifest your only thought, a familiar voice wraps around the syllables of your name. and you would have continued on your merry way and pretend like you didn’t hear anything, if only you’re not in a hallway where there’s least people and subdued music compared to the dance floor you just escaped from.

“i heard you’ve been around,” kim namjoon stands at the end of the hallway, decked in plain gray t-shirt underneath a leather jacket and black pants. he takes easy, casual steps towards you with a dimpled smile that couldn’t have been more vain, “but i couldn’t believe my ears,” his shoulder line jolts as he shrugs, “well, until now, at least.”

“who would’ve thought? the cute ___ who blushed from a simple peck would have this side to her.” he stands a good half a head over you, his cologne’s changed from the last time you’d come in such a close proximity like you are now.

“yeah,” you drag out in a half-singing voice, face schooled into an unfazed expression, “i mean, it’s better than going around tricking girls into sleeping with you, right?”

at that, his smile instantly drops into a hard set frown as he lowers his voice, “i didn’t ‘trick’ you into having sex with me,” his lips quirk up at possibly a recollection of that night, “as i recall, you begged me to take your virginity.”

“that was before i knew your shitty motives to get brownie points from my dad just so you could win a stupid competition,” your voice is equally low and threatening, body heating up from the remembrance of those unreplied texts and the look in his eyes when you approached him that monday after the tournament - like he didn’t even know you.

namjoon laughs - the sound dripping with mockery as he throws his head back slightly, “come on, that was like a year ago. get over it.”

that’s it.

that’s when your mind is the clearest. no amount of beer could tell you otherwise - that this man right here doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt on the occasions that your friends begin spilling hot tea about the leader of circuit breaker and the things the members have done to win. they didn’t know about you and namjoon - nobody really does. you should have known those late night meetings and nothing but a polite smile when you pass in the hallways - were all red flags.

ones that you willfully ignore in the guise of ‘i’m not ready to tell everyone yet’s and ‘it doesn’t matter, if nobody knows, right? as long as i know you’re my girl’s

“you’re a dick.”

you push past him, cursing internally when he doesn’t budge and you’re the one who ends up with an almost dislocated shoulder.

it is only when you’re pushing a through the sea of bodies and swatting hands that try to grope your ass, does a certain doe-eyed, bunny smile enter your vision.

almost instantly, the urge to pinch the hand on your lower back disappears after knowing who its owner is. you’re pressed up against each other - the dance floor doesn’t allow much room for personal space and you’ve shared your personal spaces with each other far too many times to need that kind of distance from each other.

“i was looking for you,” the alcohol in his breath doesn’t feel all that repugnant as he nears his mouth to the shell of your ear, igniting a fire that kim namjoon had set up with the previous exchange.

he stands straighter, lips puckered sulkily as he swayed your bodies together, “we lost and everyone in my team had girlfriends or boyfriends to comfort them-”

your hands that cup his face and digs into his messy tresses make him clamp his mouth shut. the gentlest protrusion of his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows in anticipation.

he asked and you shall grant it.

girlfriend. fuck buddy. what difference does it make?

“i know, koo. i’m sorry you wasted your time on that dumb competition.” you purr, noticing how his gaze becomes glazed as he steals a glance at your lips before meeting your eyes again.

a heartbeat later, you’re pressing your mouth against the softest pair of lips you’ve ever known. mentally, you make a note to ask what he uses to keep them smooth and kissable.

he snaps out of his stupor a moment later, hands snaking down to grab your ass like he’s done this a million times before and knows just how to get you moaning into his mouth. almost as natural as breathing, he slips his tongue past your lips tasting you.

another moan escapes you when he begins kissing down your chin, trailing sloppy kisses on your neck and suckling on the one spot that gets your heart palpitating on your chest. hands tucking on his pleated outer shirt for the sake of having something to hold.

you bring jungkook’s face to yours, noticing the sheen on his pinker lips before pressing another deep kiss. he doesn’t to think twice to react. one hand on your free hand slipping underneath your crop top. when someone shove into jungkook, almost sending you tumbling backwards and ending up doing the same to another person - jungkook curses. “fucking drunktards.”

a giggle escapes your lips, “pot calling the kettle black? we were probably bumping into people on nights we were shit faced drunk.”

“probably.” he shrugs, fingers lacing around your wrist as he guides you off the dance floor and into the kitchen where he doesn’t waste a second in hoisting you up onto the counter and slips in the space between your legs.

“hello.” you murmur, resting your forehead against his, cheeks hot and body aflame.

“hey, beautiful.” he fixes you a lazy grin, lips drawing closer to your mouth but before he manages to close the hair breadth’s distance, he stops.

“wait.” he murmurs against your lips, eyes glued to them as though he’s picturing another part of him on them.

“what?” you whisper, just as enticed by his own lips as your try to pull him closer with your arms that’s wrapped around his neck.

“are you drunk?” are his next words and you’re well aware the basis of where it spurred on.

once upon several parties ago, you’d included stopping you from putting on a risque show if your drunken self ever abandoned your self-restraint. jungkook, on the other hand, doesn’t love attention per se but he doesn’t shy away from it either.

“i’m not,” you assure, drawing closer to his lips by the second like moth drawn to flames. but you have enough sense to tilt your head to steal a glance towards the direction where you’ve been feeling a hole being drilled into your skull. your heart skips a beat when you catch namjoon’s eyes - he’s leaning against the wall with his friends either standing or sitting on the couch, beer in one hand.

“but i need your help to make someone jealous.”

jungkook follows your gaze towards namjoon and his friends a few feet away. it doesn’t take much for him to piece two and two together - especially after your a apparent animosity while telling him about the competition being rigged.

“ah,” he hums - you could just hear the smile in his voice. your knees weaken at the touch as you begin kissing the patch of skin closest to your lips which is his jawline. “i don’t know if i should be sad or happy that you’re finally agreeing to have sex in public with me because of some what’s-his-face guy.”

“not have sex sex,” you correct, delight filling your chest when he shivers - whether it’s from your touch of the image your words are painting in his head, you’re not sure, “but make out with me like you’re a kiss away from fucking me senseless?”

“i thought that’s a given?”

not needing to be told twice, you find yourself being devoured like a little rabbit in the arms of the beast. the background around you blurs together as you inhale jungkook’s scent, feel the warmth seep from his body to yours. your hand snakes down in between your bodies with one goal in mind: the gentle protrusion brushing against your own crotch.

“fuck a show,” jungkook hisses harshly against your mouth, breathing becoming labored as you caress him over the layer of his jeans, “where’s the closest room we can get to?”

you nod in agreement, hopping off the counter and tugging on your top to keep your nipples from being exposed after jungkook’s hand fall away from your breast at your retreat.

“they might have empty ones upstairs.” you tug on jungkook’s hand, making your way to the staircase and trying not to step over drunken bodies making out on the ground or simply passed out.

it’s when you get one foot on the stairs, that a clamoring thud erupts from somewhere on the dance floor - the air that was once blaring now pin drop silent. jungkook’s cheek presses against your back as he wraps his arm around your torso, a peck landing on your shoulder, not telling you to move but not really interested at the reason you paused to peer through the gaps of bodies that seemed to be looking at something just around the corner.

“shut the fuck up, dickhead!” a voice thunders against the walls after another thud that sounded like heavy equipment falling against the ground - and possibly breaking.

“must be those football guys fighting over a girl.” jungkook comments, uninterested.

on any other occasion, you would have agreed and gone on your merry way but it’s the unsettlingly familiar baritone that made you freeze in your spot in the first place. it’s with a rattling realization and the sight of jisoo among the throng of people, calling out “taehyung, leave it!” that gets you to trudge back to the floor, vaguely aware of jungkook trailing from behind with a “what’s wrong?”

eyes bore into your skull as you finally push through the throng of people and burst onto the scene. jisoo has her arms around taehyung’s while jimin appear miniature as he stands between the taller man and an unnervingly calm namjoon. the latter wipes a trace of blood from his busted lower lip as chills run down your spine when the man’s eyes falls on you, lips curving into a vain smile.

“why don’t you ask her yourself?” his voice drums against the walls - loud and clear to those who are watching which is basically everyone here.

“come on, ___, everyone wants to know if you begged me to be your first and how we fucked in the back room of the student lounge.”

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts scenarios #jungkook scenarios #bts fic #bts fanfiction #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook #bts #bts x reader #jungkook x reader #bts imagines #jungkook imagines

543 notes · View notes

aceofspadegrass · 3 years ago

Note

Can you write a fic about the AIB cast having a sleepover in the mansion that they all bought so that they could all live in there like a family...yes the dog trio will be in here too thank you very much.

Like one faithful day,Kento decided that everyone needs a break from their career...so? Why not a sleep over he says?. There will be board games (specifically family board games,Uno and Manolo-) and chaos!

Nijiro will constantly sometimes get scolded by Aoyagu sho(aguni) because he what been playing PUBG too much on his phone.

The mother of this family?: Nobuaki of course!

How about the father?: Aoyagi!

And now it's all up to you on what's gonna happen next :3!!

Cast Sleep

Characters: Yamazaki Kento, Sakurada Dori, Murakami Nijiro, Aoyagi Sho, Kaneko Nobuaki, Miyoshi Ayaka, Tsuchiya Tao, and Asahina Aya

Genre: Fluff. Just a section of the cast vibing in a brief sleepover. :D

1.3k words

Here it is! A sleepover without the sleep? So scandalous, I know, but a dash of marshmallows and UNO should do the trick. :D They're just vibing. :3

The idea came to their director one day, after the success of Alice in Borderland, and how well everyone was interacting with each other. In a moments time, they were all ushered to take their cars to drive to a mansion that they all chose together, some carpooling to save gas.

The first group contained the girls, Asahina and Miyoshi climbing out the front while Tsuchiya came out the back, her dog hopping out with her with a happy bark to be let out of the car. They settled in first, Asahina and Tsuchiya marveling at how huge and pretty everything was, Miyoshi dragging in their luggage and bringing them up to their rooms. Apparently she didn’t take that long, as when Miyoshi came back the other girls were still talking about the decorative fish tank with fake fishes swimming about, Tsuchiya pointing out how cute the little robots were. Misao trots up to Miyoshi wanting pats, Miyoshi smiling at the poodle and petting Misao as much as the little pooch wanted.

Not much later, came Sakurada with his group, consisting of Yamazaki and Murakami, the latter playing games on his phone while listening to music. Tsuchiya opens the door to greet them, Yamazaki leaving the car and running up to greet her. Sakurada pokes his head to look at Murakami, the younger of the two humming quietly to himself. Fanta, Sakurada’s dog, was napping peacefully on his lap, apparently freed by either of the two men at some point. Sakurada chuckles and taps Murakami on the leg, Murakami looking up with wide eyes, pulling the earphones from his ears. “ Hm? Are we there yet?

“ Mmhmm! Let’s go!” Sakurada opens his door and gets out, Murakami (and a freshly awoken Fanta) following behind him and entering the house. They too greet the girls, Yamazaki heading outside with Tsuchiya to grab the trio’s luggage. By the time they get it in, another car pulls up, and out came the rest of the group, Kaneko excitedly waving at everyone with Aoyagi not that far behind.

“ Hello everybody!” Kaneko greets as he comes up to the mansion with his luggage, and besides him was Merry, who was casually trotting besides him. Sakurada kneels down to greet the dog, Merry coming up and getting her daily pats with a happy tail wag.

“ Why do you have Yanagi’s dog?” Asahina asks, watching Misao bound up to Merry and give a doggy greeting, Fanta busy playing with Murakami.

Kaneko just smiles, and points back out the door, Yanagi coming out from the backseat with a whole load of bags. “ We buried him in stuff by accident, so Merry was sitting up front with us!” “ We’re coming in-“ Aoyagi’s voice appears from behind Kaneko, Kaneko quick to move out of the way as the guy came in, followed shortly by Yanagi carrying as much bags as he could, only tilting his head in greeting as he walked by to drop the bags down somewhere. The others move out to help bring the rest, which all seemed to just hold foodstuffs. It made sense, of course, they needed food after all.

The group all eventually settle, dispersing within the house to get comfortable with the new living situation, Murakami sticking himself in the living area with all three dogs happily settling themselves around him. Sakurada found it rather sweet, even if Murakami himself didn’t seem to want to pay them much attention at the moment. His attention was instead watching penguins, a perfectly valid reason to be engrossed.

Months pass, and they have been busy, doing their work and being the absolute stars that they were. Not a moment where they could get together and relax like the family they ended up making within this circle.

So Yamazaki comes up with a plan.

“ How about we all have a sleepover? It’ll be fun!” Yamazaki chirps as they all had dinner around the table, Asahina gasping a little, a smile slowly forming on her face.

“ That sounds really fun, actually! Oooh, can we roast marshmallows?” “ Isn’t that for camping?” Yanagi questions with a confused look, Asahina shrugging.

“ Marshmallows can be for any occasion if you try hard enough! It’s only this one time after all!”

Kaneko hums, drumming his fingers on the table. “ You’re not wrong! Okay! Let’s do it!” Yamazaki cheers a little, along with Asahina, Tsuchiya, and even Fanta, who seemed to have picked up the excited energy and gave a little bark in response.

After dinner they all go to grab their pyjamas, Aoyagi grabbing basic family games for them to play whenever they felt like it, setting them up in the living room as the others start to come in, apparently very excited about hanging out in a much more loose way and relaxing.

But apparently relaxing and this group never mixed long, as not long after, Aoyagi was practically watching the most intense game of UNO, Kaneko, Yanagi, and Miyoshi all staring each other down with cards in hand, all of them putting down Draw 2 cards one after another, Yamazaki just watching them go at it for a good while before Kaneko lightly threw his hand up when he ran out, Yamazaki giving him a look of pity as Kaneko was given 24 new cards to deal with. Not that far away, Sakurada was focused on a game of Jenga with Asahina, the two joking all the while as they tried to not topple the tower.

Tsuchiya was currently playing with the dogs, the three running after a ball she threw with excited barks and paws padding along the ground. Murakami was just sitting on the couch playing a game on his phone, Aoyagi occasionally giving him looks as he pretty much didn’t join in on the festivities of family sleepover night. At the very least he seemed to be okay with being there, the man fully free to have left to go to bed at any time.

The sweet sound of blocks hitting table and Asahina letting out a sound of surprise and disappointment catches a few of the other’s attention, Sakurada getting excited and shouting, Yamazaki clapping for his friend while Asahina dramatically flops over in defeat. Misao comes over to her and barks, tail wagging curiously and getting faster when Asahina pets the dog.

“ Thank you Misao, at least someone here supports me in my loss.” Asahina mumbles, picking up the dog and plopping Misao on her chest, Misao yipping.

“ Aww, no doggy love for me?” Sakurada places a hand on his heart, pouting in jest. Fanta appears from nowhere upon seeing Sakurada look sad, clamoring onto his lap and barking. Sakurada gasps with a dramatic air, smiling and happily petting his dog. “ Never mind! I got Fanta!”

Yamazaki chuckles, only to pause as suddenly a card flies down in front of him, Yamazaki looking over to where the UNO players where, Aoyagi meeting eyes with him as Kaneko continuing to fling cards into the sky.

“ Oh hey, this is actually pretty fun! You must’ve had fun doing this, huh Murakami?” Murakami looks up from his game upon his name being called, trying to see what was going on. “ Wh- Hm? Oh, uh…. yeah! It was pretty fun holding that flame-thrower too! Fwoosh~”

“ Playing with fire is very dangerous, you’re lucky a stunt double took in for that scene!” Sakurada says, Murakami humming and going back to his game.

“ Tell Yanagi that too, he set the Beach on fire.” Murakami comments offhandedly, Sakurada looking at the taller male “ For good reason. Very hot. Good for warming up cold, cold hearts.” Yanagi picks up the closest UNO cards around him, Miyoshi helping him pick up the scattered cards. The others pick up whatever landed closest to them to hand off to the two. Asahina leaves a bit later, coming back with marshmallows and a portable cooker to roast marshmallows over the gas fire. Mmmmmm marshmallows. So a successful sleepover, even though nothing caught on fire-

“ Aoyagi your marshmallow is on fire-“

“ Oh-“

#🂡🌿#yamazaki kento #sakurada dori #murakami nijiro #aoyagi sho #kaneko nobuaki #miyoshi ayaka #tsuchiya tao #asahina aya #half of this is them coming to the mansion the other half is them vibing #poor marshmallow it suffered the niragi fate-#they deserve the world #they're vibing together look at them go

20 notes · View notes

generallybarzy · 4 years ago

Text

hey there, stranger. viii

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven an: merry christmas to those of you who celebrate!!! I meant to get this out on Christmas eve but I worked until our store closed last night so I literally just finished this right now! chapter nine will be out tomorrow, I just decided to break it into 2 parts, christmas eve and christmas day, so that you could read it without having to wait too long! This chapter and the next are really sweet, with a liiiiiiittle hint of foreshadowing here and there. Hope you enjoy! word count: 2.9k

Christmas approached faster than you expected.

You had made up your mind earlier that Christmas Eve into Christmas morning would be the day you spent in Mat’s bed and finally stayed with him. You couldn’t be more overjoyed that Mat had decided to stay in New York over Christmas. You honestly didn’t know what you would do without him. Every second that you didn’t spend in class or babysitting for the Seidenberg’s- whose children were very interesting in your dating life now- you were with Mat. Out on dates, or just at home with him, resting. Things felt right with him. Almost too right.

It was Christmas Eve, it was chilly and all you wanted was to cuddle under some blankets and watch TV with him, so when you saw him come to the living room with your shoes and jacket in hand, your face dropped.

“We’re not going out, are we?”

He laughed at your instant reaction and nodded. “Just for a bit. But I have an early Christmas gift for you first.” He moved from the hallway to where you were on the couch, stopping by the tree to pick up the biggest of the very few presents you had set there for each other.

“Mat, this better not be something expensive.”

“Well-”

“I thought we agreed to keep our Christmas shopping light?”

“It’s not expensive! It’s not too expensive, I promise.” He handed you the box, wrapped haphazardly in red paper and held together with what looked like a whole roll of tape. You couldn’t help but laugh softly at it again like the first time you saw it.

The first thing you noticed when you stepped into Mat’s apartment was the two boxes under the tree the two of you had put up the other night. After you had agreed to spend Christmas with him, he immediately pulled you out to a tree farm and hauled it up the stairs to his apartment, claiming that you would decorate it so pretty and fill the house with presents. They were wrapped almost grotesque, in a way that you knew Mat had never wrapped a gift before, and you couldn’t help but laugh at them.

“What?” Mat mocked an offended look as you stood in his living room, laughing at his work.

“Have you never wrapped a gift before?”

“Hey, it has character!”

“It sure does have character. You sure you want me to open it and ruin this masterpiece?” You said now, taking the box in your lap. Mat just smiled and nudged you playfully, urging you to open it. You tore apart the paper, your heart soaring at Mat’s eyes watching you gently as you finally opened up the box under the paper. “Oh my God, Mat.” There, settled in the box, was a pair of brand new, clean white skates.

Mat smiled at your reaction. “Sooo, we’re going skating tonight.”

“What? I- I can’t skate?”

“Yeah, I figured.” The smirk on his face lit up a fire deep inside you. “I can teach you. I think it’d be a fun date, yeah?”

As nervous as you were to skate with him, you couldn’t help the smile spread across your face. “So you think a good date idea is me humiliating myself?”

“Yeah!” He laughed. That loud cackle that made your heart glow. “C’mon, get your coat, it’s chilly.”

“Rockefeller?”

“Absolutely.”

The walk from Mat’s apartment to the subway was chilly, but as you snuggled into his side while sitting on the subway train, your arm tucked under his black plaid coat, tight around his hoodie-clad waist, and his arm heavy across your shoulders, you knew there was no where else you’d rather be. He held your hand and laughed as you jumped out the subway doors the second they opened and dashed for the stairs. Mat couldn’t take his eyes off of you as you climbed the stairs back into the city and gazed around, the Christmas lights making your eyes gleam in wonder. It was a type of beauty he hadn’t seen before. A beauty not in physical appearance- even though you had plenty of that- but a beauty in how wonderful you were, how the city lights hit the joy in your eyes, and the way Mat’s heart pounded and his face warmed up when he saw you.

I want you so bad right now.

When the Christmas tree came into view after the short walk, Mat could feel the way your arm tightened around him, squeezing to get his attention. “Mat, look at the tree!” It was cute, almost childlike how excited you were. He chuckled at your outburst, and you punched his side slightly. “Shut up, this is my first Christmas here.”

“No, no, it’s cute.”

What did I do right to be with you right now?

You didn’t see his pink face.

You didn’t feel nervous about falling on your ass and making a fool of yourself, not until you were sitting at the edge of the rink at the Rockefeller Center, with Mat kneeling in front of you and tying your laces. You watched his big hands move skillfully, as if tying skates was second nature to him at this point.

“All done.” He stood with ease, his own skates making him appear so, so much taller than he already was, not even bothered by the fact that he was balancing on blades, but you had a little more trouble, your legs shaking the moment you stood up. “Hey, hey, I got you.” Mat smiled, a little bit, teasingly, his hands finding your waist. “We’re not even on the ice, babe.”

“I don’t think I’m gonna make it.”

He laughed, boisterous and loud. “I promise, you will. Trust me?” His hands found yours and pulled, urging you towards the ice. “I’ll take care of you. I’m good at this.”

Like a fool, you smiled.

“Alright, I trust you.”

Mat’s first step onto the ice was easy, it was habit, like the ice was like a home to him at this point, as if he was even more comfortable gliding over the ice than walking on land. You, on the other hand, were much less graceful. Mat held his hands out to you, and you took them carefully after almost falling immediately after stepping into the rink. “I hope you’re excited to see me fall.”

He smiled. “I’ve never been more excited.”

The first lap around the rink took five long, giggly minutes, Mat’s hands big and warm and holding yours tight, skating ever so gracefully backwards and glancing back to make sure he wasn’t about to run into anyone while also making sure you weren’t about to fall. "C'mon, babe." He smiled as you stumbled for the hundredth time that night.

"Sorry I'm not a professional like you, Mat."

"No, I like you like this. It's cute." You were about to blush, to tell Mat that he was so cheesy and soft, when he continued on. "Cute like… endearing, like how we laugh at a really clumsy deer learning to walk"

"Ouch, Mat!" You couldn't help but laugh as you faked annoyance and smacked his arm lightly. He stopped skating abruptly and let you glide into his chest.

"What? It's the truth, Bambi."

His hand fell to the small of your back, pulling you closer to him and pressing your hips to his. It was nothing but a simple, helpful act to keep you from slipping to the ground, but something in how close you were pressed into his hard body made your tummy flip and turn. Your hands slid up his chest and to his face, cupping his cheeks in your gloved hands and pulling him down to give him a quick peck. For a moment, the rest of the world disappeared. It was just you, Mat, the ice, and the sparkling Christmas Tree towering over you. There was nobody else around. For that second.

“Let’s keep going, Mat.”

He smiled, his cheeks pink and warm from the kiss. “You sure? A few minutes ago you were begging me to get you off.”

“I trust you. Don’t let me fall.”

“Of course not.”

He moved to your side, his arm around your waist, and helped guide you to move your feet, and soon, with his help, you were moving along. Mat couldn’t take his eyes off of you, simple as that. The little concentrated look on your face as you focused on making your feet move the right way looked so adorable. He couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to call you his.

And he didn’t notice the groups of girls with their phone’s camera aimed at you or the whispers they made to their friends.

He pecked your cheek again. “Are you having a nice Christmas Eve?”

“Are you kidding?” You looked up at him, your arm tightening under his jacket, around his hoodie-clad waist subconsciously to steady yourself. “This is amazing. You know what would make it better?”

“What?”

“If it would snow.”

“Hmm.” Mat motioned up to the sky, “Like that?” You turned your face to the sky, where snowflakes had started to come down lightly, sparkling in the lights.

“Oh my god.” You whispered in awe, your cheeks warm.

"All the best things happen softly." Mat repeated your words from a few weeks ago, his voice soft and eyes in awe of your beauty as the snow began to lay, sparkling, in your hair. You turned towards him, cheeks pink and eyes warm, and leaned up to beg for a kiss.

"You're amazing, Mat."

"Not as amazing as you."

"C'mere."

He sunk into your kiss, leaning the two of you against the edge of the rink so that others could skate around you. You smiled against each other's lips, absolutely giddy and chilly and craving your lover's warmth. Mat's hand glided from yours up to the curve of your neck, his chilly fingers dipping under your hair and making you giggle. The way your lips were curving up against his made him giddy, and he mirrored you, and soon you two were nothing but a giggly mess, surrounded by snowflakes and twinkling Christmas lights.

And the rumors you didn’t hear yet.

"Damn." Mat broke away first.

"I'll never get over kissing you, Mat."

"Same here."

"You're a good kisser."

"Not as good as you." He smirked, rubbing his thumb across your bottom lip. "So, I had planned to go window shopping along the avenue, but if you're too cold or your feet hurt, we can just go home and cuddle?"

"Hmm." Your feet did hurt, now that you thought about it, but the idea of being out in the city with Mat longer was tempting. "Well, I do like being out here with you. But nothing beats cuddles." Mat nodded, just absolutely gleaming that you had finally warmed up to that type of closeness. "Anyway, we have next Christmas to go window shopping, right?"

"Next Christmas?"

"Yeah, next Christmas."

So you were implying that you'd be here at least all year. Maybe more. And Mat couldn't handle that. His heart pounded in his chest.

"So I haven't scared you off yet?"

You laughed. "No, the opposite, really."

"That's good."

You stood in each other’s arms in comfortable silence for a few more moments, just enjoying each other. He hadn’t scared you away. He had made you more and more sure that he was gonna be worth it. He was here for the long run, and there was very little he could do to scare you away- that, you knew.

"Wanna head home, baby?"

"As much as I love skating with you, yeah. I'm getting chilly."

“Cuddles it is, then.”

------

You stumbled into Mat’s apartment, giggling and rubbing your hands together, shaking the snow off your clothes. Mat pulled off his wet jacket and shoes and rushed to the thermostat, turning the central air system as warm and cozy as it could get. You kicked off your shoes and dropped your jacket and skates by his door, following him into his bedroom and snickering at how he was already changed into sweats and was pulling a thick crew neck over his head.

He looked up, his hair still a wreck from pulling on the sweater, to see you in the doorway, still shivering through your giggles. He pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you, swallowing you in his warmth. "C’mon, we can’t have you cold. Go through my drawers, babe. Take any clothes you want, and find me in the living room, alright?"

"Okay."

It didn’t take you long to decide on something of his to wear. Easily your favorite article of clothing of his, the soft light gray hoodie was lying on his bed, just calling for you to grab. You slipped it over your head and grabbed a pair of his sweats, pulling the strings tight around your waist and rolling up the ankles. After grabbing some of his large socks from the drawer, you caught sight of yourself in his mirror. So, this was you now, huh? Cuddling up in your boyfriend’s oversized clothes, in his apartment, about to go snuggle on his couch. You were almost dizzy with emotion, and you couldn’t stop smiling at yourself as you looked at yourself in his clothes. You were someone’s girlfriend, someone’s favorite person. Again. And this time you felt safe in his arms. You felt loved.

“(Y/N)?” Mat called from the living room.

You took another deep breath and opened the door. Mat was standing by the couch, in big, fuzzy socks and sweatpants and his fluffy sweater, holding two steaming mugs.

“Hey, Maty.”

“Hey, baby.” He laughed through the word, his eyes running up and down your figure. Your figure was hidden behind his baggy clothes, but he had never loved you more than at this moment. You were wearing his clothes. You were in his clothes. There was something about seeing you like this that was so much more beautiful than anything else. More beautiful than the first time he saw you, than when you babysat together, than when you cuddled for the very first time. There was something beautifully intimate about seeing you in his clothes. As if in a way the two of you were becoming more and more intertwined every date. He finally realized he’d been staring and sucked in a breath. “Thought you jumped out the window and ran away or something.”

You laughed. “No, never.”

He grinned and held out the mugs as you moved towards him. “I made us hot chocolate.”

“Is it good? I know you’re not very good at cooking.” You took the mug anyway, giving him teasing eyes.

“Ouch!” Mat laughed and took a sip of his own chocolate. “Hey, c’mon, it’s pretty good!” He watched with a proud, gleaming smile as you took a sip, and you could barely taste it when he continued. “Right? Isn’t it so good?”

“It is, baby.”

“Wanna, maybe, watch some Netflix before going to bed?”

“That sounds perfect.”

Mat’s couch was large, large enough for him to stretch his long, six-foot body out on, and stretch out he did, pulling you down beside him. He tucked you back against his chest, his thick arms around your waist and his big feet nudging at yours under the blanket. As the night dragged on, the snow coming down heavier against the windows, you could feel his breath against your neck, you could feel it getting softer and softer as he fell asleep. “Baby,” You turned towards him, lifting his face between your hands. He hummed in response, his eyes opening and his lips smiling. “Let’s go to bed. You look sleepy.”

“I am.”

“So am I.”

“Let’s go.” Mat rolled off the couch sleepily and lifted you.

“Mat, you don’t have to carry me, bubs. Looks like you’re gonna fall over.”

“I wanna.”

You laughed when he hoisted you up in his arms and reached for the remote to turn off the TV. He stumbled towards the bedroom, giggling and nearly falling over, before shutting off the lights and dropping you onto the bed, crawling up next to you and making the bed bounce as he flopped his heavy body down.

“Mat.” You pulled his face up from the pillow to look at you. “C’mere, I wanna hold you like the other night.”

“Oh, for sure.”

Mat had never felt more comfortable in his life than when he had his head resting on your chest, your fingers tangled in his hair and your arm around his shoulders. And you’d never felt more safe than when his arms were around you, his lips against your skin and his weight heavy on top of you. You’d never felt this safe with any other man in your life, and Mat was so, so gentle and amazing to you.

“Did you have a nice night?”

“It was amazing.”

“Mmm.” Mat squeezed you in his arms. “I’m so happy you’re warming up to me now. I’m so happy we’re clicking so well. I was afraid you wouldn’t...”

“I am. I’m comfortable. We click so well, baby. I’m sorry it was a little difficult at first.”

“‘It’s my fault too.” His voice was sleepy and soft as his hand found your cheek in the dark, his thumb rubbing circles on your skin. “Will you stay in the morning?”

This time, you weren’t unsure. This time, you knew how you felt. This time, you wouldn’t run.

“Of course, bubs.”

#mat barzal #mathew barzal #mat barzal x reader #mat barzal fanfiction #mat barzal fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #fic #mathew barzal x reader #op

97 notes · View notes

euphoniumpets · 4 years ago

Text

run boy run | five hargreeves x hargreeves! reader

Summary: After telling Vanya how you survived the apocalypse, and Five was frusterated that it didn’t go as he wanted, you follow him to find out who caused the apocalypse.

Authors note: Hi! I’m glad that many of you liked the first chapter of my series ‘wildest ones’. I have rewatched the entire season one and i’m still continuing watching season two! so, when the season one is over i will be writing season two. Besides, this chapter is a long one!

Italics - flashback + means that I can’t tag you.

Proluge - Chapter one - Chapter two

Tag List: @colors-for-the-world-please @the-passionate-freak @andycanbeemotional @f10pc

You watched Vanya as she tried to process everything for the past few minutes after when you, and five had told her that the apocalypse was coming in eight days. You understood her that she had a lot of questions while your husband didn’t thought it would go the way he had thought it. Five took a sip of the coffee that Vanya had made him as you sat down your cup on the table, watching her stumble upon her words.

‘‘What did you, uh, do? you know after finding the world ended?’‘ You leaned backward as you let Five carry on with the conversation.

‘‘We survived on the scraps, canned food, cockroaches, anything we could find, you know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf? That’s total bullshit,’‘ He explained as he chuckled of the thought.

‘‘I can’t even imagine,’‘ Vanya replied as she leaned forward as you looked at her with a soft expression. ‘‘You do whatever it takes to survive,’‘ Five rolled his eyes before he shook his head. ‘’Or die, anyway, the three of us adapted, whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it,’’ Vanya frowned as she looked towards you and Five with curiosity.

‘‘Wait, I’m sorry-’‘

‘‘The three of you? I thought that it was only the two of you,’‘ Vanya questioned as you gave a look towards Five that Vanya couldn’t read. Five ignores the question.

‘‘You got any stronger?’‘ Five asked her as she nodded.

‘‘I have some Hennessy?’‘

‘‘Go fetch it, will you?’‘

Vanya hesitated before she went towards the kitchen and collect the cups that were sitting on the table. ‘’I bet that if Delores would see us know, she would be laughing,’’ Five replied as you chuckled. ‘’Oh, yeah, it would be hilarious besides, she would have also said, I told you so,’’

‘‘You know that Delores is always right, sometimes you should even listen to her, or me at least,’‘ You remarked as Five looked at you. ‘‘Belive it or not, I actually listen to you,’‘ He sent you the sarcastic smile that you knew too familiar with.

‘‘Yeah, for once,’‘ You let out a scoff as you crossed your arms. Five looked at you with a guilty expression as he remembered that day when you pleaded to go with him. He was thankful that you followed with him because he would actually loose his mind if he was alone for the past few years.

‘‘I’m sorry,’‘ You turned to him with a soft smile that he often adored.

‘‘I know,’‘ You replied as you placed your hand into his as you felt him squeeze that it would remind you that he was always here. Vanya came back to the living room as she handed him the drink.

‘‘You think I’m crazy, don’t you?’‘ He asked her.

‘‘No, it’s just-’‘ Vanya stammers before she sighed and continued. ‘‘It’s a lot to process right now-’‘

‘‘Exactly what don’t you understand?’‘ You could hear Five’s voice filled with frusteration in his voice. You squeezed his hand to calm him down. Vanya’s eyes drifted slowly towards your hands. You saw a look that you couldn’t recognize when you watched her gaze landed on your ring. It was the same look you noticed that she gave you when Allison noticed that the two of you were married.

‘‘Why didn’t you two time travel back?’‘

‘‘Geez, whish I’d thought of that!’‘ Five replied sarcastically. You shot him a look. ‘‘Five,’‘ You warned him as he sighed. ‘’Time travel is a crap shot, I went into the ice and never acorn-ed, you think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?’’

‘‘How come that you two still look like kids?’‘ Vanya asked again after a silence.

‘‘I told you already, I must’ve gotten the equations wrong,’‘

‘‘I mean, dad always used to say that time travel could...’‘

‘‘Mess up with your mind well, maybe this was happening?’‘ Vanya replied as you watched five sigh. ‘‘This was a mistake, I thought that you would understand but, it’s clear to me that I have to do this by myself,’‘ He muttered before he chug down the drink. ‘‘Five!’‘ You said in disbelief.

You knew that Vanya was trying to understand everything but it seemed that Five was so impatient.

You followed Five towards the door before Vanya spoke up. ‘’Five please, I just go back, we haven’t seen the two of you in a very long time and I don’t want to loose you two again,’’ She told you.

‘‘It’s getting late, okay? I have lessons early, and I need to sleep, and I’m sure the two of you need the sleep,’‘ She replied before she fixed some cushions and blankets on the sofa. ‘‘We’ll talk about this in the morning, Okay?’‘ She asked you as you nodded. You watched her go inside her bedroom before Five speak up.

‘‘Let’s go,’‘ As you let out a sigh, you follow your husband out of the door.

16 years ago

‘‘Number eight!’‘ You heard your father scolds at you. Turning your gaze towards five, he gave you a sympahetic look. ‘‘Do it!’‘ He ordered as you widened your eyes. ‘‘No!’‘ You exclaimed as you looked with fear towards five.

‘‘Use your powers on number five,’‘ He informed as you looked at reginald. ‘‘But what if he gets hurt?’‘ You questioned him. ‘‘Ignore it, you need to focus,’‘

Turning your gaze towards five in front of you, you let out a sigh as the two of you connected your eyes. He gave you an smile to let know that it was okay.

Sighing, as your heart beating too fast, you closed your eyes before you opened them and focused. Nothing happened for a while before you heard a slight scream from five. You winced when you heard his pain and you immediatly stopped. You were glad that you stopped but however, reginald didn’t seem to happy.

You fell down on the hard ground as you landed on a thump, you heard the door closed shut as you ran towards the door with full panic mode. ‘’No! Dad, please! Somebody!’’ You screamed. As you kept still banging on the door helplessly, you suddenly knew that no one of your siblings were going to help you.

As you watched the white ceiling around you, you noticed a doctor approached five. You were there because Five had found a lead where the missing eye was coming from, and you hoped that it was the clue of who was ending the apocalypse. ‘’Uh, can I help you?’’ He asked you as Five looked at the ball. ‘’We need to know who this belongs to,’’ He answered as the doctor frowned.

‘‘Where did you guys get that?’‘

‘‘Why do you care?’‘ Five snapped as you rolled your eyes towards your husband patience.

‘‘We, uh, we found it on a playground, actually, it seemed that it might just have popped out from nowhere,’‘ You replied innocently as Five gave you a strange look. ‘’We want to return it to the rightful owner,’’

‘‘Oh...what a thoughtful young man and lady,’‘ The lady replied as you gave her a sarcastic smile. ‘‘Yeah, look up for the names will you?’‘ Five said as you could tell that he was annoyed.

‘‘Uh, I’m sorry but patient records are strictly confidential, that means that I can’t tell you-’‘

‘‘Yeah, we know what it means,’‘ Five replied angirly.

‘‘I’ll take the eye off your hands and return it to the owner, I’m sure he or she will be very grateful so, if I can just-’‘ He reached for the eye but five stopped hi,.

‘‘Yeah, you’re not touching this eye,’‘ He snapped.

‘‘Now, listen here young man-’‘ He began.

‘‘No, you listen to me asshole! We’ve come a long way for this through some shit your pea brain couldn’t even comprehend so, just give us the information we need, and we will be on our merry way!’‘ He snapped as you widened your eyes and placed your hand onto his shoulder. Five relaxed a little bit by your touch but he still kept his glare on the doctor.

‘‘And if you call me young man one more time, I’m gonna put your head through the damned wall,’‘ Five only glared harder.

‘‘Oh dear,’‘ The lady said behind the desk. ‘‘Call security,’‘ The lady agreed before Five teleported the two of you away.

‘‘Where were you two? I was worried sick,’‘ You heard Vanya speak as she walked inside the room. You were back at the umbrella academy inside five’s room. You could see five rolled his eyes as you gave him a stern look which, only made him roll his eyes, again.

‘‘Sorry we left without saying goodbye,’‘ You replied.

‘‘No, look, I’m the one who should be sorry, I was dissmissive, and - I guess I didn’t know how to process what you guys were saying, and I still can’t be, to be honest.

‘‘Maybe you were right being dissmisive,’‘ Five turns and scoffs but you grab him by his arm.

‘‘Maybe it wasn’t real after all, it felt real well, like you said, the old man did say time travel could contaminate the mind,’‘

‘‘Then maybe I’m not the right person for you to talk to, either of you,’‘

‘‘Look, I used to see someone, a therapist, I could give you guys her information,’‘ You sighed. Of course Vanya would think that the two of you were crazy.

‘‘Thanks but... We need some rest, It’s been a long time since either one of us had a good sleep,’‘ You responded with a smile. ‘‘Oh, Okay, it’s good to have my other sister back,’‘ She replied as you nodded. ‘‘Yeah, it’s good to see you too,’‘

You watched Vanya leave the room as the closed door opened as you heard Klaus’s voice. ‘’That’s so...’’ He began. ‘’Touching, at all that stuff about family, dad time, and sisters, and WOW!’’ Klaus walks over to five.

‘‘Would you shut up? She’ll hear you,’‘

‘‘Five,’‘ You warned him.

‘‘Yeah, Five,’‘ Klaus repeated as you rolled your eyes.

‘‘I’m moist,’‘ You snorted when you watched five glare at him.

‘‘Anyway, I thought that you would put on something more professional,’‘ You replied as you looked at him weirdly.

‘‘What? This is my nicest outfit,’‘ Klaus replied as he looked down.

‘‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter,’‘ You followed five out as Klaus followed the two of you.

‘‘Whatever, as long as I get paid,’‘

‘‘When the job is done,’‘ You reminded him.

‘‘Okay but, just to be clear on the finer details, I just gotta go into this place and pretend to be your dear old dad, correct?’‘ You turned towards Klaus.

‘‘Yeah, something like that,’‘ Five replied, shrugging.

‘‘What’s our cover story?’‘ You frowned. ‘‘We don’t need one,’‘ You told them as Klaus looked at you. ‘’Oh, we so does,’’

‘‘I mean, was really young when I had you? Like,16?Like, young and terribly misguided?’‘ Five rolled his eyes. ‘‘Sure,’‘

‘‘What about Mrs. Wife over here?’‘ He asked and pointed towards you. ‘‘You know, I think that I liked you better when you wanted Five’s attention,’‘

‘‘Believe me she still does,’‘ Five replied as you hit him on the chest. ‘‘Besides, we can’t wear our rings,’‘ He reminded you as you took out your ring and gave it to him. Five did the same before he had them inside his pocket.

‘‘But your mother, she’s a slut, whoever she was, we met at... the disco,’‘ Klaus kept rambling. ‘‘Okay remember that, oh my god, the sex was amazing,’‘

‘‘Okay, that’s enough for the cover up story,’‘ You replied as you grabbed five’s hand and the three of you started to walk away.

‘‘Like I said to your son and his girlfriend earlier, any information about the prosthetics we build is strictly confidential, without the clients consent, I can’t simply help you,’‘ The doctor said.

‘‘Well, we can’t give consent if you don’t give us a name,’‘

‘‘Well, that’ not my problem, sorry, now, there’s really nothing more I can do so-’‘

‘‘And what about my consent?’‘ Klaus spoke up. He gave him a blank look. ‘‘Excuse me?’‘

‘‘Who gave your permission...to lay your hands...on my son and his girlfriend?’‘ Klaus pointed towards Five and you. You looked towards Five with a questioning look as he did it same. We had no idea what Klaus was trying to do.

‘‘What?’‘ Five, you, and the doctor said in unison.

‘‘You heard me, ‘‘ Klaus argued.

‘‘I didn’t touch your son or his girlfriend,’‘

‘‘Oh, really? How did she get that bruise on her cheek and how did he get that swollen lip?’‘

‘‘He and she doesn’t -’‘

Before anyone could say anything, you felt a sharp pain on your cheek and a groan from Five as the two of you looked angry towards Klaus.

The door opened and your face was dried full with tears. You didn’t know how long you were inside that room. But you didn’t care because all you wanted to get out. You looked up as you saw Five standing in front of you as he could hear you sniffle.

It was almost like a punishment to use the most powerful power you had inside you. And Reginald wanted to develope that power inside you. But being a small child and didn’t understand why, you didn’t wanted to hurt anybody.

You had your hands around your legs as you hugged them. Five looked at you with a sad expression on his face as he crawled towards you as you felt his arms wrap around you.

#the umbrella academy x reader #five hargreeves x reader #Allison Hargreeves #diego hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #ben hargreeves #luther hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #Reginald Hargreeves #grace #pogo

248 notes · View notes

tefanfics · 4 years ago

Photo

Changes

Chapter 60

The light outside the windows was bright. The sun hit the white snow on the ground, causing the perfect sparkle. I sat comfortably on the sofa with a hot cup of tea nestled in my hands while Alexander sat in his play pin, surrounded by toys. The television was on but mostly for background noise. I was having a hard time paying attention to anything but my sweet boy, though occasionally I stole glances at the Christmas tree.

The tree was huge- bigger than anyone I had ever owned and it was real, which was also new to me. The smell of pine filled the living room and kitchen constantly and I had no complaints.

I leaned further back into the couch, taking a deep breath as I shut my eyes for just a moment. This year had gone so fast. Alexander had been born in May and I was having a hard time believing that almost seven months had passed already.

My eyes shot open as my phone began to ring. I smiled as I saw the picture on the screen, answering the FaceTime call immediately.

“Hello, handsome,” I answered.

“Hey, babe,” Taron greeted. He offered a grin of his own. “How’s my lovely wife?”

“Exhausted but good.” My eyes shifted from the screen, checking on Alexander.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Taron questioned. He tried to hide the concern but there was no use. I recognized it immediately.

“Couple hours,” I said sheepishly. “I napped when Alex did though.”

Taron sighed. “You need sleep, Rose. I know it’s a struggle sometimes but you need it.”

At Taron’s words, Alexander began to babble. He turned himself around, reaching for me. I sat the phone down and stood up, pulling Alexander from the pin and putting him on my lap. I held up the phone again and both boys smiled.

“There he is!” Taron exclaimed. “Are you taking care of your mummy?” Alexander squealed, revealing a few teeth. The two went back and forth though I began to zone out.

“Babe. Babe? Rose?”

“Huh?” I blinked furiously and focused on my phone. “Sorry. Just sort of… yeah…”

Taron frowned. “It’s okay. Promise me you’ll try and sleep tonight.”

I nodded in agreement. “Okay.” Alexander began to squirm so I put him back in his play pin, focusing on him rather than my phone. “Three more sleeps, right?”

Taron stayed quiet. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him shifting in his seat.

“T… Only three more sleeps until Christmas Eve. You’ll be home on Christmas Eve, right?” I asked as I looked at him again. The look on his face said everything. “Babe, it’s his first Christmas… You can’t miss it.”

“I want to be there. I want to celebrate Christmas with you both,” he started. “One of the director’s assistants said they had my ticket and today I found out it had been double-booked. I’ve been looking all day to try and find a flight that will put me home Christmas Eve but every airline is booked.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he shook his head. “I know I can be home on the 26th, first thing in the morning!”

“That’s the day after Christmas, T.”

“I know… I’m so sorry. I’m trying to find another way, I promise you I am.”

My shoulders dropped, my heart sank and I looked away as I gave a little nod. “We’ll figure it out I guess,” I sighed. “I’m gonna get off here. Get us some dinner, maybe go to bed early…”

“Babe, it’s 4 in the afternoon.”

I tried to hide my disappointment but we both knew better. “Alex didn’t have his afternoon bottle so he’s probably hungry.” I was lying. I was hurt and sad but I didn’t want to make Taron feel worse about the situation. “I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

“I promise I won’t miss Alexander’s first Christmas, Rose. I love you too,” Taron answered, though there was confusion in his voice.

I ended the call before either of us could say anything else. I knew it wasn’t his fault but it didn’t make me any less upset.

I tossed the phone down on the couch and went to grab Alexander a bottle. I warmed it up, chewing on my lower lip as I tried to ward off my thoughts. After testing the warmth of the milk, I grabbed Alexander and pulled him to my lap again. I cuddled him close as he ate. He truly looked like Taron, especially when he smiled.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Alexander went down easy for the night and I opted for a bubble bath before I tried to sleep. I poured myself a glass of wine before running the bath water. As the tub filled, I checked my phone and read the few messages from Taron.

I’m so sorry for earlier. I’m trying to figure out how to fix this. I won’t let either of you down, I promise.

Give our boy a kiss from me. I wish I were there so I could run you a bath. I hope you can relax and get some sleep. Love you xx

I smiled softly and snapped a photo of the tub, bubbles growing as the water rose. I sent it to him, followed by a short message.

Great minds. I love you too.

Maybe I should’ve responded to the Christmas problem but I wasn’t sure what else I could say. So instead I undressed and lowered myself into the tub. I turned on Christmas music on my phone and sipped on my wine, humming along as I shut my eyes. My favorite Christmas song started to play- Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles. Normally I got excited to hear the song. This time… Not so much. All I could think of was Taron and the possibility that he wouldn’t be here for Alexander’s first Christmas.

I shoved the thought aside for the rest of the night and the next couple of days. It was Christmas Eve and I was doing everything that I could to keep myself and Alexander happy. He wasn’t quite old enough to understand everything but truth be told, it was more for me than him. We made cookies- well I made cookies and he ate the frosting before I had a chance to put any on the cookies. We built a gingerbread house, where Alexander ate the gingerbread man. I kept up my parents’ tradition of one gift on Christmas Eve, which were always new pajamas. I dressed our son in his Santa Claus covered pajamas and made our way to the living room.

The tree was plugged in, the multicolored lights shining brightly and showing off all the ornaments and presents sitting proudly under the tree. I sat Alexander on the ground as I grabbed all the throw pillows and sat them on the ground in front of the sofa before grabbing the copy of The Night Before Christmas. I flipped off the lights, leaving the dim lights under the cabinets in the kitchen on and lowered myself down to sit in front of the sofa. I leaned back against the pillows and pulled Alexander closer to me.

“Hi, sweet boy,” I cooed, kissing him on the top of the head. “You ready for your first time hearing this classic?” Alexander let out a little squeal, clapping his hands together. I grinned and began the story. “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse…”

I carried on, accepting Tux at my other side and giving him scratches under his chin. Alexander barely made it through the whole story before falling asleep at my side. I laid down more, carefully cradling Alexander. I managed to pull the blanket off the sofa and over our laps as I held my boy.

I turned on Christmas music, letting it play softly as I laid there and took in the beauty of the Christmas tree. The longer I laid there, the more reluctant I was to move. I didn’t want to wake Alexander and I was growing tired myself. Finally I let myself begin to doze off.

I stirred, hearing something in the house. I checked around for Tux but he was nowhere to be seen. I assumed whatever the noise was had come from him before moving Alexander on to my chest. He stayed asleep the whole time, his pacifier in his mouth. I smoothed his hair and shut my eyes again, keeping my arms around him. I knew I needed to put Alexander in his crib but I wanted to take in as many cuddles with him as I could.

Sleep was threatening to take over again. I did my best to fight it off by focusing on everything around me. The tree, the music, the decorations in the room, Alexander snoozing… The feeling was magical but I was missing Taron more than anything. I let out a gentle sigh at the reminder that I had no clue when he’d be home. I kissed Alexander on the head again, reminding myself that I would still give him the best Christmas I could.

I heard a noise again, turning my head toward the direction of the entry way. I furrowed my brows, waiting patiently for Tux to appear on one of his late night run throughs of the house. I gave him a minute but he never came so I turned my attention back to the tree. I yawned, wondering if it was time to put Alexander and myself to bed.

“There he is!” A gentle voice came from the opening of the living room.

My head turned quickly, landing on the figure standing there. I slapped a hand to my mouth and did my best to stay quiet.

Taron shrugged off his coat and hurried to the spot beside me on the ground. He pulled the blanket over his lap and slid his arm under my neck and shoulders. He placed a kiss on my cheek and put a careful hand on Alexander’s back. He raised his phone, checking the time. “11:59, still Christmas Eve.” He smiled proudly at me.

A wave of relief ran through me. My shoulders relaxed and the breath it seemed like I was holding finally went free. “You made it,” I said quietly.

“With time to spare. Did you know that a train ride from Barcelona to London is about 12 hours?” He asked.

I shook my head, letting out a soft chuckle. “You rode a train for 12 hours?”

“I promised I wouldn’t miss his first Christmas,” Taron said, kissing my temple again and snuggling in close. The time on his phone ticked over to midnight, leaving Taron to look at me again. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

#taron egerton #taron #taron egerton x reader #taron x reader #taron imagine #taron egerton imagine #taron egerton imagines #taron fanfic #taron fanfiction #taron egerton fanfic #taron egerton fanfiction #Kingsman #kingsman secret service #kingsman golden circle #rocketman #eddie the eagle #robin hood #Billionaire Boys Club #TaronChanges

46 notes · View notes

littlemisswriter · 4 years ago

Text

A bit Green

Summary:

Lily discovers one of the Rooks trying to get close to Jacob, and never having experienced true jealousy before, it doesn't sit well with her.

[This imagine struck my heart, he’s so gentle with her and yet still so fearsome ahhh, anyway, more in the works to come so hold tight :) x]

An eruption of laughter at the table had escaped into the air though no one took particular notice to the loud noise. In fact, the entire pub had lit up with conversation and song, the music that echoed around the room had lifted the spirits of everyone in it. Most nights drinking with the Rooks had been merry, but tonight had been a special occasion to celebrate; to the new ownership of Horse and Groom.

The assassins began to slowly expand their empire from borough to borough, able to find funding in underground fights and carriage races, evidently where they recruited most Rooks who had eager ferocity against Blighters and a willingness to fight. Numbers grew larger and larger as did the influence of the assassins gang within the city, an undeniable uprising to those who sought against the oppression.

In the corner amongst few Rooks sat an assassin, her emerald eyes fleeting from faces to the scenery around her, still coming to terms of the pub investment that had landed them ownership of this fine establishment. A light chuckle came by Lily, averting her attention back to the green coated allies at the table that shared conspiracy rumors of the city itself. Debating on what deemed true and did not, pints in hands splattering at passionate opinions and loose fingers. The thought of drinks had her head turn to the empty chair beside her, waiting for her partner to come back with promised said drinks.

There had her line of sight drawn over to the bar, eyes softening at the familiar sight of Jacob's robes, even if from the back. The way he had leant against the counter as he waited for drinks had struck him out from the crowd, the man easy to spot when he hadn't been hiding in plain sight. But her smile faded as she lay eyes on the woman beside him, a younger Rook she hadn't known by name but had seen at various stronghold locations. She had provided the Rooks with decent information to enable Jacob to plan attacks against Blighters and run things accordingly without much disturbance.

So to say the least she was around a lot, and appeared to enjoy that factor.

Lily's face hardened as she kept a close eye on the girl, her pretty features working in her favor to get what she desired; and she was aware of how alluring she looked. Although her intent hadn't been one to worry, but more so on who her target was. She suddenly laughed, lifting her hand up to push back a strand of hair behind her ear, gaze eagerly looking up to Jacob in an attempt to flatter the assassin. He hadn't been fazed which provided Lily with a moment of relief, though it was only that, a moment.

The Rook's confidence grew as she slyly lifted an arm up beside him, brushing her fingertips to his elbow gently to engage in physical contact of her flirtations. A sudden harsh intake of air had been swept into Lily's lungs, watching another, especially that of an ally, make a move upon a man that was clearly taken. The disrespect of the woman crossing boundaries despite knowing them had Lily's anger flare. But she kept it at bay, allowing the emotion to slowly bubble up internally instead of acting impulsively.

This had all been new to her, the foreign circumstance creating an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew Jacob had well intent, and wouldn't succumb to that of his Rook, yet still felt sick at the sight. Was she jealous? Sitting close by to a show of affection for a man she had already made claim? She didn't like it. She refrained physical anger with tight clasps of her fists perched underneath the table as a wave of uneasiness seemed to settle over her completely.

A sudden cheerful welcome came to the group as another band of Rooks across the pub had made way to the table, excited to suggest a new interest of the night. "We're gon' make way across town to Topping's fight club! Thought you might want to come!" With intent to extent the night out longer, Lily couldn't seem to keep focus as her eyes trailed back to Jacob. The woman now in a closer proximity, her eyes staring wantonly up at her boss. It was a sight that Lily could easily start up hellfire for, but fought against it for the pleasantry of others. So she agreed to accompany the others out to Robert Topping's underground fight club, no longer able to bear witness to the sight before her.

She stood, leaving the pub behind the others with a slip out of the doorway, believing she had gone unnoticed toward the new endeavor. Though she was wrong. Jacob stood idly by the bar, waiting for the barkeep as one of his Rooks kept him company. She had simply started up with light conversation and praise of new ownership, but quickly had he come aware of her intentions and only hoped to get his drinks quicker.

The light touches of the woman and sexual glaze over her eyes hadn't fazed Jacob, only hoping for an excuse to retreat back to his seat where his beloved sat waiting for him. At the thought of Lily, he couldn't help by itch a smile to himself, turning his head to lay eyes on the woman that stirred a fire in his heart. But the feeling abruptly froze as he saw her seat empty along with a few others from that same table. His eyes scanned the pub intently, only just seeming to catch Lily slip out of the doorway and into the night.

His fist clenched, forgetting his intent on buying drinks as he easily stood straight and made haste after her. His name was called from the Rook though he made no motion to answer it, swiftly stepping out into the cold to have lost sight of the assassin. No matter, as his quick wit had brought him to his mastered eagle vision, head turning to catch sight of where she could possibly have gone. And down the alleyway across the street, a few figures made way into the night, one being gold and seemingly his only concern as he made way after her.

Chatter and easy strides lead Lily behind those that kept in high spirits, her head tilting high though her stomach sat the complete opposite. An emotion she knew she couldn't justify, yet one that decided to linger despite it. So caught up in her thoughts, the sudden grasp to her arm had completely caught her off guard. Lily acting on impulsive reflex at the sudden contact with a defensive swing of her arm. But it had been blocked by none other than Jacob, the assassin unfazed by the attack as it appeared his mind riddled with other current concerns.

"Lily," her eyes looked between his in momentary shock, unable to comprehend how Jacob had quickly made of her absence, "what are you doing?" Something had felt awry, Lily not normally one to skip out on any such celebrations, especially ones that include drinking. His hands tightened ever so slightly as he pressed for an answer, the woman averting her gaze back to the group that slowly made way into the distance. "What's going on? Lily, answer me."

"Some Rooks and I simply wanted to visit Topping's fight club." Her stare finally meeting his, though there had been a vulnerability to hers that Jacob couldn't quite decipher. "That's all." Her blunt statement was cold, though Jacob knew there was more. This hadn't been the first time Lily had struggled to express anything with emotions to Jacob, an ability that would take time. Hence why Jacob didn't snap, yet continued to prod with curiosity.

"We were getting drinks. You were waiting for me while I-"

"It appeared you had found better company." Lily snapped, her mouth moving faster than her brain had. The statement was sharp with hurt, an emotion she had conveyed too easily without restraint. It had Jacob's brows furrow as he shook his head.

"I don't understand." A sigh came his response as her arms folded over her chest, feet allowing a step away as she quietly huffed at how overwhelming this green monster inside her had become. "Lily, talk to me." He reached out, briefly brushing his fingers to her wrist as he closed the distance between them once more.

She felt foolish for letting her feelings get the better of her, not truly knowing how to explain to Jacob what she felt had her bothered. "I just," she swallowed the lump in her throat, kicking the gravel beneath her as Jacob stood awaiting an answer, his gaze focused in on his partner before him, "you were there with... and I..." Why had this been so hard?

But before she could attempt at a better explanation, a sudden call of Jacob's name came from close by. The pair turning their attention onto the very Rook that had provoked flames of anger into the very assassin. Her chest heaved as she subconsciously took a step away, Jacob laying his sights on the drop of Lily's features. Her eyes seeming so sad with an emotion she couldn't will herself to indulge in; it had caught Jacob off guard, his own gaze softening as he watched her then instantaneously switch up to her hard glare. The Rook came closer, hands clasped in front of her chest as she looked between the two before landing her sights on Jacob; she politely smiled. "I was wondering where you'd run off to."

Lily shook her head in disbelief that the Rook had been so concerned of his whereabouts. It hadn't of been her business as she yet again ruined another moment.

"Why don't you go back and keep your current entertainment occupied." Lily growled, spinning on her heel and making her leave with haste in each step. Jacob reached out to her as he watched her continue out of reach. He blinked back feverishly as he tried to piece together what had just happened. He'd never seen lily so defensive so quickly without reason which led him to delve into memories just moments before. Though rethinking to her words and what had led her to a quick exit, it appeared something clicked in his head as he tied the knot to it all together.

His face dropped in realization before he felt a sudden light touch to his shoulder, almost skimming over close to his chest. The Rook had daringly made close contact with the man, ever so bravely stepping by his side to close the gap between them. "Give her space." Her words wanting to come across with good intent, though her underlined tone told him anything but.

It was her. She had seemed to be the stem of this problem.

He could only recoil from her touch, stepping away as he knocked her wrist lightly from his body. The Rook appeared shock, cupping her wrist as Jacob had looked down at her expressionless. It seemed he had not previously been the polite man he had mere minutes ago, and she didn't like that; as if her plans to grasp a tighter hold on him loosely slipped away. "Jacob? I don't-"

"You will address me as Mister Frye, or Sir. Do you understand?" His tone deathly serious as if to challenge her to call him otherwise. It was a barrier he needed to firmly place, realizing the misinterpretation it caused. It would not happen again. He would not allow anything to make Lily feel so insignificant again.

"I-I-" His brow raised expectantly, the Rook finally concaving to the reality as she moped with a nod. "Yes, Sir." Jacob now satisfied that the situation had been rectified, he turned back around to where Lily had left off, features softening once more as he began running after her without another word.

Having caught up to the group, Lily allowed them to walk ahead as they closed in to the entrance. The walk had been a colder one than usual, the weather seeming to affect Lily more than she realized as she felt just as much internally. Her jaw clenched and unclenched, hands shoved into the pockets of her robes as she followed the Rooks with disinterest.

"Miss 'arvard! We're nearly there, come on!" Opening her mouth to respond, she was immediately cut off by an all to familiar voice.

"Give us a moment!" She snapped her head back around to lay eyes on Jacob once more, swallowing back as she looked around for that Rook to be in toll close after. Yet she hadn't, which had Lily curious. Her brows narrowed in somewhat anger, but at what particularly she didn't know. Jacob did not truly do anything wrong, and so her anger wasn't directed at him. She was just generally upset, unable to rid the feeling or express why she sat in it as she did. The bitter emotion sat heavy to her chest, eyes averting sideways momentarily as she expected another interruption.

"Lily," Jacob cooed her name softly, stepping closer to her so her face sat level with his chest. The way her name rolled off his lips as her shoulders softened, fingers clasping to her robing material in anticipation. Her eyes drew up, surprised to see Jacob looking down at her with a gentle gaze; he hadn't of been angry or even confused. Simply accepting, and it tugged at her heart.

His arms lifted to wrap around the top of her shoulders, tugging her closer to press her against his chest. Her eyes widened as he tightened his hold to her. It was a particular place he liked to embrace Lily when he wanted a close proximity, a place that she felt most valued when he was with her.

A kiss came atop her forehead, her eyes lifting up to meet the hazel pair that gazed down warmly at her. The hands in her robes slipped out onto his chest, fingers clutching his vest to additional comfort as he kissed her forehead once more. "You're all that I need, Lily." He began, gently tilting her head up closer to his with the aid of his forefinger and thumb. His other took a hold of her hand, sliding it over his chest to land atop the part where his heart lay underneath. "That is yours, Lily Harvard." She swallowed back, wrapped in the emotion along the side of the street, yet she couldn't seem to find enough will to care. "And I will continue to call you mine, until a day comes where you wish it not."

Lily could only shake her head, glancing down to their hands as he began to run his thumb warmly against the back of her palm. Though his words were few, they seemed to be enough to emit a lighter feeling in her chest, the weight etching away with each moment by the sheer warmth of his touch and sincerity behind his eyes.

Her response came as a nod, tipping up onto her tip toes as she pressed a lingering kiss against him. He smiled against her, holding her close as the two embraced on the street, uncaring of those around who watched. His hot breath against her own sent her into a trance as she pulled away, Jacob pressing a last kiss to her forehead as she inhaled contently at the exchange. Surely more to come as the rest of the night could finally be spent in the joy the two had been expecting.

#assassins creed #fandom #jacob frye #assassins creed syndicate #assassin creed syndicate #evie frye #frye twins #older jacob frye #assassin's creed syndicate #Lily Harvard #cute #love #jealous #jealousy #reassurance

10 notes · View notes

selinakidreams · 4 years ago

Text

year six at hogsmeade

ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! This fic is for the @haikyuucreationsadm secret santa event! dedicated to @ichorizaki ! sol, I hope this gives you the warm fuzzies!

genre: fluff

warnings: none!

tags: harry potter au!, gn! reader, friends to lovers, yams is a lil over protective, fake dating (if you squint really really hard), yamaguchi’s pov !

a/n: no i do not hate the character i put as the slytherin (i’m not gonna spoil anything <3 teehee) i did it almost as an easter egg ...? like if you remember how yams reacted when he heard a certian thing come from his mouth,,,,,,, you’ll understand why- the clip was playing in my head on repeat while writing it lmao (super vauge ik but ah ha haa)

Both of your school capes sashae across the cold stoned floor as you two head to the one class you had together. The air was nippy; delicate flakes of snow danced around the sky until they landed on the ground. Yamaguchi hugged his books closer to his chest in hopes to ease the lack of warmth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you nuzzle into your silver and green scarf that was already bundled up to your nose.

‘Cute,’ he thought to himself- and when it comes to you, that word comes up in his head quite a lot.

Far from being his favorite class, Yamaguchi Tadashi had to get used to the defense against the dark arts course. It was very… out there for him in the beginning. By pushing his limits, it created a wave of self-consciousness that would wash over him, resulting in the feeling of incompetence. Thankfully you were there to encourage and support him, just as you had been since the day you guys met. It was something about your strength and determination- he learned that through the years when you had an idea, a goal, or a project in mind, you would see it through. It was so inspiring to young Yamaguchi, the little boy constantly cowering away from anything that seemed too much. He would constantly be picked on and could never speak the words that clogged his throat but then you came along with a single snarky remark to end all of theirs. There was no time between the moment he words left your lips and when your hand slipped into his- pulling him away from any sense of loneliness he would ever feel again. You were there for all the big moments, from when he first got his letter to him getting sorted into Gryffindor to him trying out for their quidditch team. You two had been absolutely inseparable and neither of you would change a thing.

Yamaguchi cherished walking to class with you- the way you fit so well in the environment… he just couldn't take his eyes off of you. His favorite version of you was in the winter because you just looked so much cozier. The dark colors of your house heavily contrasted against the bright sparkling snow that reflected natural light into the corridor. The pink that tinted the tips of your ears made his heart skip a beat. If it hadn't been for you stopping by the opened door way, he would have completely missed the entrance to the classroom because of his… observations. He motioned you go in first, your eyes crinkled in thanks as you stepped inside and he swears that you caused a heart palpitation.

It was your guy’s sixth year at Hogwarts and by far Tadashi's favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts course yet. The teacher, Remus Lupin, had such a way of teaching that it was not only fun and interactive, but also incredibly informative- the prime way for him to learn. He was so happy that Lupin’s tactics were sticking, this meant he didn't have to cling to you for help as he had previously; He was able to show you that he was capable of being strong on his own. Whenever you showed your delight at Tadashi’s progress, he only wanted to work harder.

“Hey so… after class, did you want to go to Hogsmeade and get something to drink from Honeyduke’s? It’s all snowy out and it’s the perfect weather for something warm and comforting.” You grinned as the both of you took your seats, conveniently across from each other, the only thing that separated you two was a slim isle way. Yamaguchi turned to you with a small smile curving his lips, “Yea, sounds good but just remember I have practice later so I can't be out too la-“ his last word was cut off by an obnoxious scoff from the keeper from the Slytherin quidditch team.

“That was supposed to be our practice, you know. Daichi snatched up our usual practice time.” Koganegawa Kanji said snottily, judgmentally eyeing Tadashi up and down before turning his gaze to you. Suddenly there was a different type of look in his eyes, a bright one that showed that he believed he could secure all sorts of things… including you. “Those Gryffindors think they can take whatever they want, but I know what we're going to be taking. The win at our next game… which just so happens to be against Gryffindor. You’re going to be there, right y/n?” He practically beamed to you as he kept side-eyeing Yamaguchi.

Before you could even answer- before he could even realize what was coming out of his mouth- your shy, kind hearted, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly Tadashi rolled his eyes and said, “Yea they’re going, they’re going to be screaming out my name when I catch that snitch.”

Your eyes widened as you turned to him with your jaw slack, the sexual innuendo in the forefront of your mind but when facing your freckled best friend, it looked like he couldn't believe he was able to even speak up. Yamaguchi is not one for confrontation or someone who initiates fights… but when things come down to you, he acts in ways he doesn’t recognize- for painfully obvious reasons.

“You better watch that mouth of yours, Yamaguchi, or else i might just have to zip it up.” The Slytherin hissed, getting ready to reach for his want but stopped in his tracks when his gaze caught sight of a scruffy man in his mid 30’s standing behind the frozen Gryffindor, hands in his pockets and a brow raised.

“Now… I know you were not about to hex mister Yamaguchi inside of my class, right Mister Koganegawa?” Professor Lupin tempted, a small smirk danced on his lips with the unmissable glint of entertainment that twinkled in his warm eyes.

The professor didn’t give the boy a chance to answer, instead turned around and headed to the front of the classroom while saying, “Return to your seat Koganegawa, I expect whatever hex you were going to cast was going to be a naughty one. Well ironically, today’s lesson is focused on learning to reflect those nasty curses…” The whole class settled in for the lecture as Tadashi sneaked a peak at the reaction that had been plastered on your face- boy, was it a cute one. Both of your lips curled in with saucer eyes, cheeks tinted a faint red, as if you were holding back a laugh that was forcing its way out.

<♥︎>

After Lupin bid the class adue for the day, everyone went their separate ways; Tadashi held you close as you both headed to Hogsmeade, his arm draped over your shoulder as you leaned into him for warmth. The walk had been a comfortable silence until you spoke out your curiosity to break the ice, hitting him with the million dollar question.

“Hey, what happened back in Lupin’s class? That was.. odd.. of you to say.” You inquired. Normally when you catch Tadashi off guard or in a vulnerable state, a cute blush dusts along the apple of his cheeks and the tips of his ears. You knew you were robbed of the sight, the cold had beat you to it, a violent scarlet already bared his skin.

He let out a sigh, the breath showing itself in the cold, before he muttered, “I’m just tired of him openly ogling at you like you’re some toy. It’s not cool.”

You responded with a slight hum, the real reply bouncing off the walls of your brain: I can't believe we’re not together by now.

“Oh yams,” you chuckle as you huddle closer into his side.

<♥︎>

Passing under the grand Hogsmeade archway, he was grateful that there were barely any students about- this meant you guys could get your drinks faster and walk around the shops easier. With the antique green and pink building in sight, the beeline to the shop’s entrance was determined.

“Okay okay, let me guess…” you started as Yamaguchi held open the door for you to walk in, already eyeing the colorful treats that decorated the room, “you want a hot chocolate.”

“And you want a hot strawberry tea.” Tadashi retorted with a smile.

“It’s almost like… we’ve known each other for years.” You say, your tone dripping in sarcasm as he watches your finger trace over the newest candy they sold.

Sol, a sweet that’ll brighten your day! The container said, with a picture of what looked to be an edible ball of light. Supposedly, once it hits your tongue, it melts into the flavor you're craving most.

After inspecting the shelves around the store for any new and exciting treats, you both headed to the register where Tadashi placed the drinks order and fished out two golden galeons and five silver sickles. He snuck a glance at you admiring the brightly colored walls to make sure you weren't looking as he slipped the cashier the two packets of sol he stealthily grabbed and handed them three extra sickles. A sweet surprise for later.

Leaving the store, Yamaguchi watched the way your hands slipped around the warm cup, the tips of your fingers slightly intertwined. He wanted nothing more than to take your cup out of your hands and intermingle his fingers with yours…but he couldn’t, it would be crossing a line, wouldn’t it? Nevertheless, the image of holding your- probably- freezing hand was on his mind the whole time you two were walking around the village you knew all too well.

Deciding that it was pretty late you guys began to head back to the castle. The snow crunched underneath your boots with almost empty cups in your hands, you knew it wasn't going to take long before you’d be greeted by the back entrance of the castle. “‘Dashi… do you have to go to practice? I… i need help with Lupin’s coursework.” you stutter out, causing Yamaguchi to pause and turn toward you.

This took him by surprise, normally you were really good with your coursework, so for the roles to switch… something had to be off.

“ y/n... You know I can't. The team said they really need me there. Daichi would have my head if I missed practice. The game against Slytherin is so close and I really need to-” he cut himself off before he could reveal too much or get too annoyed, the flash of Koganegawa smirking flashed in the back of his mind.

“you need to… what? I saw your last game and the way you soared through the air was incredible, it didn't seem like you needed to work on anything!” you pouted with damn wide eyes.

Tadashi tried to ignore the slight increase in his heart's beating pace, “aha well..” he said as he lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head, “we��re a team and they need me as much as i need them!” you stopped walking so he turned to face you.

He watched the small sad smile creep onto your face before hearing you mutter, “Jeez, when did my Tadashi become so popular?”

For Yamaguchi to not lean in and plant a kiss on your lips, something had to be holding him back... but there was nothing- if anything, you seemed to slightly lean in.

He figured that you'd assume that the first move was going to be on your part, as it normally was when something serious would happen between the two of you but he wanted to prove to you that he's changed. He's not scared anymore. He has no reason to be. He’s learned so much about himself throughout the years because of you. You're the reason he was the social person he was today. And he was the one that finally connects your lips with his.

Due to the cold and dry winter, both lips are not as smooth as wanted but it doesn't stop him from deepening the long awaited kiss. He placed his open palms on your waist and his fingers gave you a small squeeze when he heard you sigh into the kiss.

When Yamaguchi felt your arms around his neck, he swore the world stopped turning for a second. The warmth that he was feeling was unmatched- this was warmer than any other winter coat had made him.

When he pulled away, your arms stayed around his neck and he refused to let his hands leave your waist.

“I uh-“ at this point Yamaguchi’s face was bright pink, yours being no different, “um I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” You said, cutting him off.

Tadashi had to blink a few times, as if he was clearing his vision because what he just heard wasn’t possible.

“N-no way…” he mumbled, looking at the ground next to you. Tadashi almost felt overwhelmed but one thing's for certain, the weight of needing to properly confess was only getting heavier so he gulped down his anxiety- as you had taught him so many times before- and brought his eyes to meet yours.

“Y/n… I’m so in love with you. I have been for so long-”

Something red wizzed before your guys’ eyes, cutting off his huge confession. His eyes became wide at the hovering letter facing him.

A howler.

Before you could even raise an eyebrow, the letter opened itself in the shape of an origami mouth.

“Yamaguchi, YOU ARE LATE FOR PRACTICE! WHY? WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT THAT IT’S CAUSING YOU TO MISS PRACTICE?” the letter with daichi’s deep voice boomed around the empty of the woods. It began to look around, as if it could see the surrounding area- which was weird because typically howlers were only used to relay a (very loud and disappointed) message. When the envelope eventually faced you, the bottom of the mouth dropped and seemed to gulp.

“Ah.. i see.. Hi y/n… um,” the letter turned to face Yamaguchi before reminding him to go to practice and ripping itself apart.

It was silent for a second, neither of you knew what to say.

“I dunno but it almost sounded like Daichi wanted me to go to practice.” was the first thing he said. He watched your face contort from a small smile to a full out grin joined with a hearty laugh.

“Let's get you to class ‘Dashi.” you said as you wound down from your laughing fit. Holding out your hand, the expression you gave him was one that he never saw from you before. The corner of his eyes crinkled with how genuine he was smiling as he took your hand, finally getting to entwine your fingers together as you guys headed to the quidditch field.

Ps. yes you did scream out his name when he caught the snitch- it didn't go unnoticed...

36 notes · View notes

madllamamomma · 4 years ago

Text

Journey Back to the South Part 10~

[Ok I am so sorry this is late! I am currently on vacation with my husband, then my step dad now has the virus and that really stressed me out, because I’m closer to him than my own P.O.S. father... Sooooo yeah... Life is a nightmare. Thats why I write fan fiction to escape it..... Thats healthy.... right......right?.... *crickets....* Anyways, enjoy!]

WARNING: Heavy topics about abuse and rape. NSFW.

Part 10~

“You’re important too.”~

As the crowd is continuously distracted by giving praise to the new Illuminator, Muriel is still gently forcing his way towards the front where you are standing. As he finally comes to your rescue, he is just as shocked as you are to find Shona, the sole Kokhurian in all of the Shining Steppe that claims to despise you and your people, hugging your neck and literally crying on your shoulder. Unsure what to do, your hands hover over her but you are unsure what to do with them. “Uummm…”.

“Thank you….” Shona whispers, shakiness in her voice. Just as quickly as she embraced you, she pulls away and scurries off out of the gathering tent without a second glance or thoughts. Everyone else is too focused on showering Ava with much deserved praise, no one else even noticed what had just happened.

You glance up and meet Muriel’s eyes, and he mirrors the same dumbfounded expression that's in your face. As his hand wraps around your waist to pull you close, you both stare out the tent in the direction she fled, and he mutters. “Did…..did she…. just—?”

You nod your head slowly, still completely stunned as well. “I’m…. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who witnessed it. I don’t think I would have believed what happened…… I still don’t believe it actually.”

This is… very shocking. Little did you suspect that she’d thank you let alone hug you.

Soon the crowd makes their way outside around the large fire in the middle of camp. Muriel tugs you both along with everyone else and notice Una standing in front of the fire as she speaks in Ruin. “We thank our Great Mother and Great Father for blessing us with a very fruitful year. We have had many blessings that we have shared. Many victories, and some losses. But we are strong, we will always keep going. Tonight concludes our Winter Solstice! May winter have mercy on us as we continue to honor our Great Mother and Father. May our departed visit us tonight as the spirit realm and the living realm merge tonight....” Una keeps going on, but you start to zone out slightly feeling very tired all of a sudden and you lean into your hermit. Even he looks a bit tired, lusting after a good night sleep.

As soon as the closing ceremony was completed, Muriel, Inanna and you head back to the tent and nearly collapse out of exhaustion. Lazily taking off your clothes and dress into your long shirt and taking off your pants. All the anxiousness you and Muriel had felt for Ava’s trials have all but vanished and left the want to sleep for about a full day or two. Even though the ‘celebration’ was completed, it sounds like others are still up, singing, dancing, and being merry and whatnot… Hmmm… it has to be for Ava. But they deserve to be celebrated over! They worked so hard... You groggily turn over and murmur good night to Muriel and Inanna before you gently drift off to sleep and you feel a feather light kiss on your temple and his warm arm wrap around the small of your back. For some reason you hear Una’s words repeat in your head before slipping out of consciousness.

‘May our departed visit us tonight…… as the spirit realm and the living realm merge tonight…..’

—————————

The feeling of being on all fours and fur all over my body are becoming rather familiar to me now. The dark tundra is frigid and icy and I can see my warm breath cloud in front of my face, yet it never bothers me. The moon is just barely showing any light on the dark plane. I’m alone again…. but not for very long.

I can’t help but feel such joy when I start to sense warm air rush overhead and a large ball of fire lights up the hillside. It’s her…. Rhemi… She flutters her wings over me for a moment and she makes happy little calls and I growl softly back in response. Gracefully, she brings herself down from the sky and perches herself on a nearby bolder. Once comfortable, her flames dissipate showing her dark brown and red feathers, the dark night blankets the vast tundra once again. For a moment I just gaze at her…. Even now, underneath all her magical flames she is so beautiful. She always is…

My body starts to move, and before I realize it I’m sitting next to her by the boulder. Her small beak rests on my snout, and she snuggles up against my thick fur like she always does, even in the real world. I always like how she does that. It makes me feel wanted… loved. After a while the two of us start to stare into the dark night sky, I’m unsure why, but I feel like something is bound to happen soon.

The Aurora’s lights suddenly start to dance across the sky and I can hear that deep humming once again. With bright colorful lights illuminating the tundra, I can see that we are sitting in the middle of Khamgali’s graveyard on a small hill.

One by one I can see what looks like people’s casts burst from the ground and tombstones. Bears, wolves, eagles, hawks, caribou, foxes, and many other animals crawl out. But after they come out, their bodies become physical like mine and Rhemi’s. The bright colors of the cast dissipate giving away to the various furs, feathers and other features. Thousands emerge and stretch their limbs and backs out as if they have been resting for a long time. Soon the creatures start to roam around, seemingly recognizing each other, and greet nearby animals. Some even start to wrestle, chase, or play around on the vast plane. I find myself rather dumbfounded at this sight, unable to take my eyes off the scene. It is even rather entertaining to see.

“...Muriel?..” A very deep male voice calls out from behind us nearly startling Rhemi and I—I…. I feel like I know that voice… The two of us quickly turn around. Two bears are standing side by side; one as big as I am, maybe even slightly bigger, and the other is smaller and silky, beautiful. They both have deep green eyes and have this presence to them that feels…. comforting…. warm… I feel like I know them. Like I used to see them in my dreams before when I was young…

The smaller one starts to approach me warily, apparently attempting to not scare me… She smells sweet like fresh heather and after the morning dew. It finally clicks in my head… Her presence is all too familiar and I step backwards ashamed and I hang my head down low wishing to disappear. I glance my eyes over to Rhemi, still perched on the boulder. She looks a little confused at first, but seems to understand who these bears are as she sees my face. Her ruby eyes light up, and she mutters a low chirp as her eyes glance back to the two bears in wonder.

I shake my head as my eyes shut close tightly and the feeling of dread overwhelms me, tightening my chest and my stomach feels like it's in knots. No…. please no… No, no, no…. I…. I really don’t deserve you or your comfort… all this time I thought you both….. just got rid of me… Because I was a burden… but really you were just protecting me… protecting this land… Now that I stayed here I completely understand why you did….. but for the longest time… I didn’t want to care about you… I didn’t want to even think about you…… No…. I don’t deserve your love.

Suddenly I feel the small bear lifts my head up with hers and starts to softly growl and grunt as she lovingly nuzzles my furry neck with her small silky soft snout. She’s a lot stronger than I expected and she pushes up against me, but she’s comforting non the less…. She has tears in her deep green eyes as she huddles close to me. The other larger one trots over and gently lays his head over top of mine. Why does the feeling of him there so reminiscent of when he would pat me on top of my head? I remember enjoying that when he came back after hunting or trading…. Now that I think about it, I do the same to Ida when I see her.

The two bears both are making very small sad, yet happy, gruff whimpering noises like their hearts are torn in two… I don’t want to… but I feel myself relax as they are around me. I know why you both stayed here and fought—I do now at least… but…… part of me…. wishes we all left the Steppe together—GodDamn it….. that sounds so selfish.…. But…. I wish…. I got to know you both better myself… I wish you got to know... me. Maybe… I’d be more like you two…. maybe I would be braver….. stronger…

The small bear pulls away to look me in the eyes. I can see the corner of lips curl up… she’s smiling at me… she looks… proud? “Our little cub…” She says softly, but somehow does it without moving her mouth at all. Her voice is as silky, calm, and smooth as her fur... Just like I faintly remember when she used to sing home to sleep.

“... Look how you have grown. Our boy, mo ghoul.” The large bear mutters, his voice shaky. His voice minds me of the one in my head. Very similar to my own when I speak, but just slightly different….. it’s strange to hear. “We love you, Son… we always have….”

I don’t open my mouth…. but somehow words flow out like a river before I can stop them. “..... I know….. I know you did…. I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry…” I can feel tears drop down my long nose. Just less than a minute ago, I didn’t want them to come even near me…. but… now…. I don’t want them to leave…. “I wish I was better for you both…..”

“Nothing to be sorry about, my son.” The bigger bear mutters in such a kind and warm tone. “We can never ask for a better son. We are sorry we had to leave so soon.”

The two bears huddle up to me once again. This time they are even tighter… Even though they don't have any arms, I can feel their loving embrace around me. It feels good… Like I have been craving it somehow. “We will always be here with you cub…. Always…. Even if you don’t see us.” The smaller bear says.

….I can feel that pulling once again…. Something is taking me back to my body…..

Please no!..... Why?! Why am I being pulled back now?! Whatever this is—a God? Father Sky? Or Mother Earth?.... or even me…. Please stop this!! Don’t make me leave them!!.... Not again… Please!!! I want to be with them…..just... let me stay…. just a little longer….. wait… —WAIT!

“We love you, little cub.” I can hear them both say as I fade away from this realm….

“..... I love you both too…..”

————————

You can feel as Muriel snaps his trunk up from the bedding with a gasp. For a moment he just sits there panting hard. His movements wake you from your slumber as well. But it takes you a few seconds for you to sit up and get awake. Once you feel like you can move your body, you rub your tired eyes to comfort Muriel… Those bears... they were Glenna and Artturi… his parents. Una mentioned that the solstice was the time when the spirit realm is closest to the living. You glance up towards the hole in the tent. It’s still night, the moon is hardly even out... Probably not even midnight yet.

Carefully you slide your small fingers and lace them with his and he very slowly tightens his grasp. You both sit there for a while in silence listening to the fire crackle and hiss. “...You ok?....” You very quietly ask, leaning your head against his large deltoid and look up to his very emotionally torn face. He presses his lips tightly together and he very sluggishly nods his head, but you can see the tears forming in his eyes. “.... Ya’ know….. It’s ok to miss them….” You whisper.

He opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying so hard to say what’s on his mind. “I didn't…. I didn’t care when I forgot their voices… or their faces…” He stops for a moment and he closes his eyes and furrows his brow, thinking hard. “.... I dunno…. maybe I didn’t think I did…. but… but now… I.... I just…. just…. wish……” Tears flow from his eyes and chokes on his sentence. He covers his eyes with his hands to stop them and shakes his head irritated with himself as his body starts to tremble. “.....S-... Sorry…. Rem.” He murmurs through his tears.

“Please, don’t be sorry, Mur...” Your heart breaks in two anytime you see him cry like this… but it’s to be expected after that dream. Sitting on your knees, you wrap your arms around Muirel’s shoulders from behind him and place a kiss on his temple bone. Those two bears were his parents' spirits…. ghosts?… previous casts?— Well…. whatever you want to call them, and however they got there hardly matters. The fact is that they were there to see him. Perhaps Artturi still can leap into dreams even after death?...Maybe he knows how to bring Glenna with him?...Who really knows?... You take in a large thoughtful breath and place a soft kiss on Muriel’s head again. “... It’s okay to miss them… even if you don’t remember.” You understand how it feels not to remember your parents faces either. It hurts not to know—it’s almost infuriating how much it does.

He shakes his head avoiding looking you in the eye. “.... All my life…. I didn’t… let myself… miss them..... but n-... now…. Do… do I even have the right to?.... Especially after the way I thought of them? That they just... abandoned their only son?”

“Of course you do, Love…” You tenderly guild his head down and turn him so he rests his head on your chest and pet his hair and he clutches the back of your shirt. He seems to feel soothed once he’s there and starts to calm down a bit. “….. You were too young to understand what was really happening…… no one was there to tell you tell you otherwise….. You did what you had to do to survive….. Perhaps thinking that they sent you away was a method of coping with it all… somehow to make sense of it... It’s better than not knowing anything forever… I think guessing about it most of your early life would have been worse.” He huffs a long exhale and shrugs. Your fingers brush through his dark hair pulling it out of his handsome face. “...You really shouldn't beat yourself up about it, Muriel. ”

“.... I wish I could… see—” He slightly flounders in his words, then gives up mid sentence in frustration. “—I…. I don’t know…..”

“Come here…..” You whisper, very tenderly pulling him back down to the bedding. As you rest your head back on the pillows and he buries himself into your neck and shoulder holding you tight while you both lay on your sides. You squeeze him back comfortingly, tears still slowly trickling from his eyes. “... They both were so happy to see you….” You mutter just above a whisper, pushing back his hair out of his face again.

He softly closes his eyes, melting into your touch, but doesn't appear to be convinced. “.... How can I know?.... Know for sure?..”

“They were. I know it…… So do you…. they loved you, Muri. They still do….. I… I think they’re still watching like Khamgalai….. But perhaps the Great Lights really do hold a part of their spirits….. even after a year has passed…. just like Kok… I guess we’ll never really know for sure…. But I know they are proud of you. You could tell on their faces.”

“...... I….. I wish I could have known them…..” His body starts to feel slightly warmer as he looks back into your eyes rather sheepishly. “... I wish…. they could have met… you….”

You smile back at him a little… He doesn’t know. “Well…” He lifts his head up slightly and listens to you intently. “....Before….. I woke up….. And you left…. For some reason I stayed a little longer….”

“...What?” His eyes light up and widen as you say that. “.... What…. what did they…?”

“.....They just…. Kinda hugged me—well first your mother inspecting new all over like Una did our first day here— but then they both nuzzled their faces kindly on me like they did to you….” You can feel as your cheeks glow red as you continue and Muriel still has his eyes locked onto your in astonishment. “...They asked me…. To take care of you…..”

“They….. they did?” Muriel seems to get a hold of his tears now. You scoot into your back and he follows, slightly hovering over you, resting his hand on his propped up arm... “.....and… what did you say?”

You can’t help but give a silly love stricken grin as you open your mouth to tell him the answer. “I told them I would… forever…. until I drew my last breath… and even after that…..” Your hands start to shake a bit, feeling anxious as you continue, and you grab his large hand and caress his palm with your small thumbs. “.... I will always be here by your side, Muriel. I will protect you with all my might….” His eyes seem to sparkle when you utter those words and he looks so adorably smitten. But then your brain decides to ruin the moment as overthinking takes over and you start to expel words. “Well—I know that’s not saying much… I-I’m not very strong physically compared to you—…. but you know I can kick some ass if I need too— I won’t let anyone hurt you that’s for sure! As long as I can—” Suddenly Muriel’s hand cups your right cheek and he presses his parted lips to yours, stopping your silly rant and kisses you like you're the air he needs to breathe. A little surprised muffled squeak escapes from behind your teeth, but then you start to melt into his touch and kiss him back.

As he very slowly pulls away, his forehead meets with yours with a little happy grin on his face as he strokes your bottom lip with his thumb. “.... Sometimes….. you talk too much….” He says with an amused snort.

You slightly pull away, sticking out your bottom lip, feeling a little embarrassed and you avert your gaze to the other side of the tent and sigh, “Yeaaaaah….. I know…” You do have a tendency to rant at the worst of times.

He exhales sharply through his nose and he turns your face back with his thumb and pointer. “....But I love you for it….” He sits up, holds you close and your head rests in his large shoulder as he embraces you tightly, and you kiss his neck a little. “... thanks…. for being here… and…. letting me talk… and understanding me…”

You smile wrapping your arms around his strong torso. “I always will, Muri… I love you… with all my heart.”

“... I love you too….” His whispers back in your ear very sweetly.

He returns laying on his side facing toward your direction and the two of you lay there facing one another, still entangled in each other's arms as you both drift off back to sleep.

—————With feather made of hot embers, you float back to the realm of dreams————

…….But this time Muriel isn’t there with you….

You glance down, and your feathers have faded away and you are in your normal body.

This place…. it looks familiar….. you're not sure where you’ve seen it before. But it feels like you’ve dreamt…. or maybe been there…. but a very long time ago...

—It’s night time again. The buildings look different to you compared to the ones back home. They are mostly made of wood instead of brick or stone, they are delicate looking. Tall mountain peaks are surrounded everywhere, on the very tops are powdered with snow. It looks like whatever city you’re in, lives in the heart of a valley. The sea is nowhere in sight, neither is salt in the air. You’re landlocked. It's rather pretty scenery wise, but a strong sense of foreboding seeps into your chest as you continue to roam this strange place…. Why do I know this place…. it's so pretty here… so why do I feel like I hate it?

Suddenly you stumble upon what looks like a noble’s house… a vast mansion with tall widows and ornate sculptures everywhere… It's rather lovely… almost reminds you almost of Nadia’s palace, the bright lights inside make the stained glass windows shimmer as they cast their colored light on the stone outside. As it appears to be flakes of snow are softy falling down. You peer up and twirl around, even though you hate being cold, you have always liked to watch snow as it fell from the heavens. Cupping your hands, you reach out your palms to catch them. However the white snow turns dark and looks ominous. Once it falls into your hands you then realize it’s not snow at all—It’s soot and embures falling from the sky. Your body makes an about face back to the beautiful home. The entire mansion is now engulfed in flames. You never thought that stone or marble could catch fire…. but it seems that you were wrong….

There isn’t a soul around and you look all over for someone to help put it out. But it’s dead still other than the terrible flames consuming the building. You're still all alone…. or so you think…. Out of nowhere, a lone woman with dark brownish red shoulder length hair, and very familiar looking clothing is suddenly standing in front of you about eight meters away. With her back turned away as she stares at the flames as they quickly eat away at the mansion. “...H-... Hello?” You quietly call out to her, almost afraid to utter a single word.

Eerily the mysterious woman turns her neck around very sluggishly, just enough to reveal a small part of her profile over her shoulder. The whites of her eyes are blood red and sickly looking, you can even see red veins under her eyes and mouth. You take a few steps back instinctively out of fear. I know that look all too well…. The red plague….. those are the end stages…. The visible corner of her lip curls up into a comfortable grin as she stares at you with those cold burgundy eyes that almost have no life in them.

Your feet take a few steps back in fear. “Who….. who are you?”

She still won’t turn herself all the way around to face you, but there isn’t any denying her familiar features.... Is that…. me? Your eyes squint and you tilt your head feeling just completely dumbfounded once again tonight.

Finally she opens her mouth and begins to speak over the loud roaring flames as the mansion’s riff begins to crumble away. “...... You know who…...” it’s rather creepy to hear your own voice answer you, but it sounds so weak… so tired… so strained.

“What do you want?...” You ask not sure if to run or press on.

“.... Truth….” She replies, the loud noises if the inferno dampens as she speaks, you can hear her crystal clearly.

“...Wha—What do you mean ‘truth’?” You shake your head slowly trying to comprehend this strange answer. “Where are we—?”

A loud viscous enraged scream suddenly comes from the fiery mansion making you nearly jump out of your skin. It sounds like a person has been very badly injured…. But a very icy shiver runs down your spine and shakes you to your very core. It sounds like the voice of the creature who killed Ezavior—It frightens you to hear it again so soon. “W-..... What is that?? Is there someone in there? Shouldn’t we save them??”

The wind starts to pick up her hair and flows over her face. “....You know who…..”

You feel as your mouth sneers at that preposterous answer. “What??—No I don’t! That's why I’m asking!”

“You know who it is…..” She repeats sounding almost saddened. “.... You can’t deny it….. You know they survived… You remember seeing them… don’t you?”

“What—? No!!! I don’t!!! Don’t you listen??” You start to become frustrated with all of this strangeness, and just desire answers, not more coded messages.

She shakes her head disappointedly, her grin falls and turns her back to you once more and sighs. “...You're still not ready… one day your going to need to face this…I may not be here to protect you anymore.....”

“What?— What does that even mean?”

“.....Now is not the time…. Not yet.... you should go.”

“What do you mean I’m not ready?!— WOOOH!! HEY!!” Out of nowhere an invisible force wraps around your torso and throws you backwards through an open door frame. It’s so dark inside.

She finally turns all the ways around, but the flames cast too dark of a shadow for you to see her sick face. “Go…. be with him… enjoy the time you share spending together.” She says warily.

“What do you mean?? What’s going on?! Wait just a moment!!! Why aren’t fucking answer me??”

She brings up her left hand and waves it. “I suppose you’ll see in time….” She utters lastly as the door shut in front of your face before you can dash out of it.

“Wait!!!” You scream right before the door completely slam closed. It then starts to feel farther and farther out of reach then it completely disappears into oblivion and you find you yourself running towards it. “WAIIT!!!!!”

—————

“Mmmmmmm…. W-Wait......” Your body sits straight up and you wake with a start fluttering your eyes open….. Did I just say.. something… just now? What was I even doing?

“Rem—You ok?” Muriel and Inanna quickly come to your side from the middle of the tent by the fire, both look rather worried. “—Was it another bad dream?”

You squint your eyes and look all around, slowly becoming oriented with where you exactly are. “Hmmmm? Wha-.....What now?”

Muriel brushes his knuckles against your sleepy cheek and huffs a bit grumpily. “.... Did you just have a bad dream?”

You realize that you were just dreaming and it was a strange one too. You tilt your head looking at the covers, squinting your eyes in attempts to recall it… but there is just nothing…nothing you can remember about what you just dreamt. Inanna nudges her snout under your right elbow and you start to lift your arm up to pet her still pondering hard. Your lips click, and you shake your head a little. “...I….. I don’t really know….. it was definitely a weird one….. But I…. I can’t really tell you what happened in it….” He looks at you pointedly, brow slightly furrowed, looking for any signs of fibbing. You stifle and yawn and drowsily smirk taking his wrist and place it over your cheek, cuing him to hold your face. “I told you I would talk to you. I promised, Mur. This time I really don’t remember. I would tell you if I did.”

He sighs and he slightly relaxes as you lean into his touch and he strokes your cheek with his thumb, looking more convinced. “Alright….” He leans down and kisses your forehead sweety and you do a little happy tired wiggle. “Come on, I made some breakfast for us.”

“Alrighty~” You get yourself out of bed, quickly donning your tight pants for warmth. It may be warmer from the fire in this tent, but the temperature has most definitely gotten colder since you both arrived nearly two weeks ago. As you get on your socks, you see that Muriel was kind enough to make you some fish and eggs for breakfast. And you start to boil the kettle for tea. “Whatcha think, Love? Earl grey, or cinnamon chai this morning?”

“Hmmmm….” He looks thoughtfully glancing between the tea tins, then closes his eyes. “..I like them both... But Chai always goes good with fish… I think so anyway...”

“Oooo!! That’s true. Good call, my sweet~” You say with a toothy yawn and start to prep the tea cups. While the tea steeping, you take the time to stretch like you do every morning when you can, making your spine and hips pop satisfyingly. Muriel just shakes his head with a small grin as he watches you. He may attempt to hide it, but you are pretty sure he likes to watch when you do a stretch called ‘the pigeon’, it shows off how flexible you are.

Soon all three of you start to chow down breakfast that your hermit so kindly made for you in comfortable silence. Slowly you start to wake up, the food and the chai tea slowly bring you back to life this early morning. As Muriel swallows his last piece of fish, then stares very thoughtfully into the fire, a somber expression washing over him. “.....Should be leaving soon.” He faintly breaks the silence and you stop mid bite to listen to him. “.... Gilbert says the snow will be falling any day… don’t want to get stuck…. Asra would be sad….and so will his idiot.” Muriel's face looks almost sad when he says that. You can only imagine how hard it is to leave his new found family. But you both have obligations back in Vesuvia… you with the shop and him with the forest.

You lean into his arm and snuggle up to him and he leans back. “We’ll come back next year.”

He blows out sharply through his nose and brings his tea cup to his lips. “....Yeah, I know.”

You both lapse back into silence for a moment and you think about the middle of last night during the dream in the graveyard and Muriel’s parents. He said he didn’t remember their faces or voices….. but Una has a way of tapping into distant memories. “Hey…. Muriel?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you remember when we first met Una in the graveyard?”

He nods firmly, unsure where you're getting at. “...What of it?”

“...Well .... I was thinking… about last night…. What you said…. about your parents….”

“Oh…..” He averts his eyes over to the other side of the tent and still looks a bit ashamed for some reason. “What does that have to do with the first day we met everyone?” He asks with a raised eyebrow, curiosity now in his gaze.

You look back at your warm tea and run your pointer finger over the rim. “... Well…. before we leave… maybe…. you can ask Una…. to show you…. your par—”

“--M-Madainn mhath!” Just as you were about to finish your thought, you hear a familiar little child’s voice outside the tent. “....Cousin!..... Not Cousin!!” It’s Ida. And by the second pair of feet stepping behind her, it sounds like she isn’t alone. Inanna's tail starts to wag as she hears her little voice and quietly whimpers in excitement. Who is gonna miss Ida more when we leave? Muriel or Inanna? You smile and chuckle to yourself. “....Are you both awake?” Ida calls out again, but a little quieter in fear that she may be disturbing you two.

Muriel and you exchange surprised glances, it’s still early in the morning. You shrug and you and Muriel stand up. “....Uhhh…. H-hang on, Ida.” Muriel replies, grabbing his shirt and throwing it on while you make yourself decent. He shoots you a quick glance before opening the tent and you nod once you fasten your corset belt over your long shirt.

Once the entrance is untied and opened, Ida steps in and Inanna goes straight for her, licking her little face and she giggles adorably. “Nana!! Tha thu a ’fàileadh mar èisg!! Hee-hee!” She hasn’t been wearing her hood lately, perhaps she’s becoming more comfortable in her own skin. Not very much to your surprise, Ava comes into the tent behind her, they look a little tired, evident with the small bags under their eyes. They were probably up all night celebrating after getting the approval from the elders, but they look so happy like a five ton weight was lifted off their shoulders. It looks good on them.

“Ida…. Ava.” Muriel says stepping aside to welcome them in with a nod. “Morning.”

Ava smiles up at him with a toothy grin, this is the happiest you have even seen them other than last night. You are actually excited to see them again. The last you saw of them they were being paraded around camp the night before and you didn’t get to say good night. You lunge forward and wrap your arms around them giving them a large hug, almost startling them (but they have almost gotten used to your mannerisms). “AVA!!!! How’s my favorite Master Illuminator doing today~?” You ask cheekily, moving them slightly side-to-side in excitement.

Ava’s face quickly flushes, yet they can’t help but keep a large humble smile on their lips as you call them that. You pull away so you can watch as they communicate with their hands. “... Not a master yet, Rhemi….. but I am officially an Illuminator now… that is thanks to you and Cousin Muriel of course.”

“We were very happy to help! Right, Love?” You turn your face towards him with a giddy looking grin.

Muriel smiles over to Ava and gives a solid nod, then reaches down and pats Ida’s head and she giggles again. She turns around, grabbing his wrist and starts to inspect it. He snorts, knowing what she is looking for. “Don’t worry.” He says showing her the bracelet she made him. “... I haven’t taken it off…. I promised you I wouldn't.” Her little cheeks are painted bright pink as she lifts up her arm and shows hers as well.

Ava makes a little muffled laugh at the two of them then turns their attention back to you. “Sorry to interrupt you both this early in the morning. Didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s alright. We were just having some breakfast.—We have some tea left if you’d like some.”

Ava politely shakes their head. “We are here on business…”

“Business?” You repeat with your head tilted slightly a little surprised.

Ava scratches their neck and looks slightly sheepish. “.... The elders are all in the gathering tent this morning. They asked me to come and get you two. They want you and Cousin to join us.”

Muriel looks rather confused, still not understanding Ava’s hand language as you start to look uneasy. Ida tugs on his large wrist to get his attention. “Momma, Papa and the other old people—” Ava shoots their sister a particular scolding look and Ida tries to recover herself. “.... I-I mean e-elders—wanna see you and Newcomer in the big tent where we eat.”

You look over towards Muriel then back to Ava. “Wait…… the elders?…. Are…. Are we in trouble, Ava??”

Ava shrugs and scratches the back of their head, honestly, not really knowing what the deal is. “Elder Evander said to try not to keep them waitin’--.” Ava gently smacks the back of their sister's head to scold them. She apparently wasn’t supposed to say that part. Ida rubs where she was struck and blows a raspberry at Ava and they just sigh irritatedly.

“Sorry…. Take your time, but they are all waiting for you two.” Ava communicates sheepishly, noticing that you aren't fully dressed with your plum colored overshirt and blue skirt.

Muriel huffs slightly grumpily, from Ava’ expression, he could tell what they were saying. “Tell them we’ll be there in a moment.”

Ava nods and opens their hand up for Ida to grab hold. She takes it and they both walk out the door and Muriel closes it so you can get dressed.

Feeling nervous, you try to get dressed quickly, but fearing the worst. “What do you think that they want us for?”

Muriel shrugs, taking off his shirt to fasten his belts to his torso. “Maybe it’s about leaving. They may want us to get going before the snow starts to fall…”

“I doubt that… If we decided to stay, I think they’d be more than overjoyed.” Muriel pauses for a moment, and hides a little smile, he won’t admit it, but you know he agrees. “Uggh….. I hate that we have no idea why they are calling for us…… You know…. I get a feeling like I used to get into trouble a lot…. Maybe that's why I am so anxious.”

Muriel stifles a chuckle sounding a bit too amused. “Why doesn't that surprise me?”

“What does that mean?? I’m a goddamn angel~” You smile fakely innocently and bat your eyelashes.

“Pffttt!!! You’re a goddamn mess is what you are.” He throws his head back and cutely laughs with a large smile. “... Come on. Let’s not make them wait anymore.” He leans down and quickly steals a kiss and it makes you feel a little more calm.

“Well if we are in trouble, at least we're in trouble together.” You say with a smile, throwing your traveling cloak over your shoulders.

You follow your hermit out the tent, through camp and to the gathering tend, trying your best to not feel so anxious about all of this. As the two of you make your way inside the gathering tent, you notice that not only are Una, Gilbert and the other elders that you expected to be there; But Ronin, Tad, Ava, and Shona are also there. They are all sitting in a semi-circle on the blankets and pillows a new feet away from the fire. Una is holding her boy baby in her arms as he sleeps away peacefully.

“Muriel! Rhemi! Madainn mhath!!” Gilbert cheerily greets with a warm hearty chuckle like he normally does. He points to the front of the semi-circle. “Come, come, come! Have a seat!”

You take Muriel’s hand, feeling him starting to get a bit anxious as well and you both take a seat. He hates being front and center of everything. “We…. we aren’t in trouble…. are we?” You warily ask sporting a nervous smile.

Una jolts and sputters at the thought, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh heavens!——No!! We just have something we would like to discuss, that's all! Something good!” She then smiles reassuringly at you. “Sorry if we worried ya!”

You exhale a long relieved sigh and relax your shoulders and lean into Muriel’s side. “Pfffew!! Ohhh!!! Thank goodness…..” You mumble under your breath and Muriel quietly snorts at you.

Gilbert chuckles a little at your apparent relief. “OH! Before I forget…” Gilbert pulls out the journal from his fur cloak. “I read it all, Rhemi. Three times, in fact. It’s fantastic. I couldn’t ask for a better representation of the stories of old and of our history. It was very well written.”

“Thank you…. Can’t take all the credit, though! I had some help from Ava of course..” You nod towards Ava and they blush a little, seemingly at this point out of habit. Gilbert smiles over to his child, their face heats up even more and scowls as if to say, ‘please don’t look at me like that!!!’

He stifles a chuckle, shaking his large shoulders as he sets the journal down next to him and looks back to you and Muriel. “Well, I’m sure you want to know why we asked you both here this morning… We have something to ask of you both….” He pauses for a moment, what you could only guess is for effect. “...Since you two have been here, you have helped in so many ways…. Muriel helped us catch fish, fixed some things here and there, learned to grow plants with Una like your mother did, you even took care of the chickens and other animals during the mornings, you spared my young little warriors cubs to help them better defend themselves. Ha!! You even did patrol a few times when no one asked—you didn’t have to do that. Any of those things… But we greatly appreciate it....” Gilbert then reaches out his hand, gesturing to you and you stiffen. “....Then you, our Newcomer! You helped preserve our history and documented it accurately…. You’ve helped revive an old tradition of the Illuminators, and help my eldest child so they could pursue their dreams of becoming a storyteller. We just can't thank you enough. We are just glad that little cub has someone like you.”

You can feel Muriel’s body start to heat up and his heart pound, but he still holds your hand and doesn't show signs of letting go. Una chuckles softly at Muriel, lifts up her head and starts to speak.“.... Berty and I know you both have plans to get married when you go back to Vesuvia….. My husband, the other elders and myself have been discussing… and we have one more request before you both leave…. Many years ago, we had a tradition called the

Gabhail Ris Ceremony.”

You tilt your head, squinting your eyes thoughtfully. “.... ‘Accept…. it’…. ceremony?” You mutter the translation slightly perplexed.

The old woman that passes out the ale every night barks a quick amused laugh. “... Sometimes words have many meanings in the language of old, little one. Sometimes they can be lost in direct translation…. gabhail ris also means ‘acceptance’.” Her voice is shaky and has age to it, like the little old woman that you make a reumatizam potion for. She’s also very sweet and cute, but rather strong for her old age...

Gilbert nod then continues on after the older woman explains. “...Yes! Many many years ago, when a Kokhurian married someone from outside of our tribe, they would conduct a little ceremony. It was a way the betrothal’s family, mostly the parents, showed their child’s betrothal acceptance into the tribe—Not just as their spouse, but as an individual of the Kokhuri. Traditionally the ceremony was conducted the day or two before the actual wedding, but we know that you two are planning on becoming wed once you're back to your home in the north… we can’t be there when that happens, but… Well…. we wanted to ask if we could at least conduct this ceremony as a sigh of our gratitude—” Gilbert pauses and drops his gaze, a somber expression washes over his usually cheery face as a thought crosses his mind. Una notices his silence, peers over and places her hand on top of Gilbert’s and squeezes it. Her touch seems to snap him out of it. His eyes glance back up and he grins back at his wife and he clears his throat before pressing on. “..... Moonlight and I know we could never replace your parents, Muriel—We would never want to either…. But we care about you like you were one our own cubs….. That day we saw you at Aunt Khamgalai’s hut, well…. it felt like you were a missing piece in our hearts.... now that you're here, it’s like you’ve never left…. ” Muriel doesn’t seem to know what to do with that statement and his face turns a little pink. But you can tell, he feels the same way. “.... We also know that Glenna and Artturi would have loved Rhemi to death. And if they were still here——well…. they would have wanted this….. So…..” Gilbert trails off and peers back to Una, they suddenly place their right hands over their hearts and half bow while still sitting on their knees and Muriel starts to stiffen at the gesture, holding his breath. “..... Una and I want to host a Gabhail Ris ceremony in your parents honor.” Gilbert lifts his head up slightly to look at the two of you. “...That is, if it is alright with you, Muriel… It’s your decision afterall.”

Muriel quietly sits there next to you and flutters his eyes. He is completely baffled by this request. Honestly so are you. As you both sit there you can’t help but think to yourself,….They want to accept…. me? An outsider as their own??..... Muriel finally looks down at you and you both have no idea what to say. He flounders for a moment trying to understand everything. “.... You both want to make Rhemi….. an honorary… Kokhurian?”

Una and Gilbert straighten their torsos back up and she rocks her baby a little, shaking her head. “Rhemi wouldn’t be just honorary, she would be part of us. It’s more like… an adoption so to speak.”

Muriel’s eyes become a bit watery and squeezes your hand tight as he looks at you again for what to say. With one quick soggy eyed smile, he nods to himself and exhales sharply through his nostrils glancing back to Una and Gilbert. “I—…..we—….” He stutters a bit, still shaken at this beautiful gesture and he takes a deep breath. “.... It would be an honor if you accepted my br- br-....” His face quickly becomes red and panicked at that word, and he scowls grumpily at himself, drapes his arm over your shoulder and proudly hugs you in front of the elders. “—R-Rhemi….” He then picks up his eyes and glances back at every elder with such gratitude. “Thank you….. both of you…. I mean all of you...” Your heart feels so fluttery and overjoyed as he utters those words. But then you smile uncontrollably at yourself a bit. Bride…. he was going to call you his bride. He still can’t say those words. Jeez, he’s too cute. Everyone’s faces light up and are so exactic and they all start to speak amongst themselves. Tad and Ronin are giddily huddled together trying not to cry sappily. They did say they loved weddings. Ava looks so happy and has this sweet looking emotion on their face as they look at you and Muriel, almost like a sense of longing. But Shona looks pointedly at her knees, she doesn’t look upset or angry like you expected. Instead she looks like she’s full of regret, she still won’t even look at you or Muriel or anyone else at all. Ava notices and places their hand on her shoulder and pats them comfortingly, but she still shrinks into herself.

Una hands the baby to her husband and takes the small bundle gently and starts to make silly faces at him, and he coos sweetly. Once her hands are free she makes a single clap, making a loud smack getting everyone’s attention once again. “Alrighty then!!! Now— there is one other thing…” The elders stop their chatting and listen to her carefully. “... Traditionally, Muriel’s siblings, usually with femine understands, would be assisting Rhemi to get ready for the ceremony….. However, Muriel doesn’t have any siblings. The other option is that a Kokhurian would volunteer to keep taking her into their care. So we need a person, of age, mind you, married or unmarried that would represent Rhemi. They will act as your Neach-Cùraim, or caregiver and will help you prepare for the ceremony, and teach you what to do.”

With a determined look in their face, Ava makes their way to stand up to volunteer. But suddenly Shona grabs their wrist before they get to their feet. The twin’s eyes meet and she tugs them back down, quickly whispering something in their ear. Ava's jolts and their face becomes rather red and they return to their seat looking complexly embarrassed hanging their head down low. Then, the tent goes dead quiet as Shona stands up to her feet. Everyone stares at her as she takes a large breath before moving her feet toward you and Muriel in front of the semi-circle. She still won't look you in the eye, keeping her gaze glued to the ground, but she suddenly places her right hand over her heart, and bows slightly, making her long braid fall off her shoulder. “... I’ll represent the Newc— I.. I mean….. Rhemi.” Ava and Gilbert’s mouths drop to the floor in utter shock and quickly exchange perplexed looks. Una eyes seem to gleam with pride as her lips sprout into a large smile, just beaming at her daughter.

Muriel’s eyes meet yours and the both of you are mirroring the same astonished expression as Gilbert and Ava. She…. wants to… help...me?... ME?! You flutter your lashes and look back to Shona with your confused big burgundy eyes. Her demeanor has completely flipped, normally incredibly confident, short, and snooty, she’s now very sheepish and humble. It is almost alarming. “You….you want to represent…. me?.... A-A Traveler?” You ask, tilting your head a little bit, not knowing if you are comprehending completely at this moment. Maybe…. is she misunderstanding?

She straightens back up and starts to play with her braid, opening and closing her mouth a few times, seeming to be struggling to form words. “I....I would be honored to represent you, Rhemi.” At last she answers. “...No one is more worthy of becoming a Kokhurian than you….I see that now……. And yes…. I would be happy if you let me…. If... If that's alright with—OOF!!”

Your body moves before you can stop yourself as you quickly stand to your feet and embrace her without a second thought. “I will be happy if you would, Shona.” Her cheeks light up a bright pink and for a moment; her face looks just like Ava’s has in the past; she continues to avert her eyes away from yours and her trunk is a little tense in your arms.

You realize that you may be making her uncomfortable and let go and awkwardly scratch the back of your head and everyone in the tent is rather quiet. Una looks to her husband and nudges with her elbow and he snaps out of the stupor. “Hmmm?—AH, Yes!!! Right, right, right!—Alrighty then!! Shona will be in charge of getting Rhemi ready! Good, good, good! That solves that problem!”

Una practically jumps to her feet, looking so completely thrilled with all of this. “Well, best be off then!! Let’s get you to my tent, eh? This ceremony won’t start itself, now will it??” Una and another woman around her age who is very heavily pregnant stands up and follows her. They then come on each side of you and loop their arms around yours and start to drag you out of the tent.

“Wait— you mean this is gonna happen now?!” Muriel interjects with a bit of alert in his voice, you both were not exactly prepared for this to happen right at this very moment.

Una turns to Muriel but keeps tugging you right along out of the large gathering tent. “Why yes, of course!!! The snow should be a-comin’ any day now! And you both said you wanted to head back north unless you plan on staying all winter here!”

“Wait— w-what’s happening now? Una?! What are we doing?” You mutter as you are being let out of the tent. Just as you turn back around to catch a glimpse of Muriel before exiting the tent, he looks a bit confused and rather uncomfortable making you feel concerned for him. “W-waits gonna happen to Muri while I’m getting ready??”

“Oh, don’t you fret ‘bout him, my dear! Gilbert, Shawn, Ronin, and probably Ava will be with him. They will be helping him get ready and keep him company while we get you all prepared.”

“Oh… wait, it’s morning, how long is this gonna take??”

“Well…. we have to bath you, do your hair, then get you dressed— we also need to get you fitted for a headdress and earring—Ohhh!! I’m so very excited! I haven’t seen one of these since I was a young girl! Glenna had a cousin that got married to a newcomer. Those two were so cute together!”

“.... So this is like a wedding?”

The pregnant woman giggles a little and speaks up. “No—Not quite. It’s more like Una said as an adoption into the tribe…. But in a way it's like a marriage to the tribe. Now don’t you fret, Muriel will be by your side. But we’ll be dressing you in traditional Kokhurian clothing during the ceremony.” You aren't sure what to expect at this point, but now that Muriel and you have agreed, there isn't any going back, so you decide to roll with it.

Ida comes running out of the tent with Inanna, both carrying a bucket of water. “Com’on, Nana!! We gotta fill the tub up in the other tent now!”

You can’t believe your ears for a moment and Ida and Inanna run toward the outside of camp. “... Did she say what I think she said?” You quickly open the entrance of the tent and see a wonderful looking sight of an extra large wooden Kokhurian sized tub. You can feel your left eyebrow slightly twitch. “..... You-... You had a tub this entire time, Una?!”

She chuckles a bit standing at your side. “Of course I do! Can’t bathe in ice water during the winter on this tundra, can we??”

For some reason you feel a little irritated at this discovery. “.... So…. your tellin’ me… I could have had an actual bath this entire time down here??” You ask, trying to hide your frustration.

Her arm drapes over your shoulder and she starts to laugh a bit more as you just stare at the tub with a rather disappointing look on your face. “Well—You should have just asked!” You can’t help but just groan semi painfully remembering how you were forced to use a bucket to wash your hair for the past couple of weeks. All you’ve been doing is dream of a nice tub to soak in. “Ha-Ha! Oh you poor sweet thing! Oi!! Don’t just stare at the damn thing! Get yourself undressed and get it!” Una says patting your shoulder as she leaves the divider.

The tub clearly has some years to it, it’s no royal tub like at Nadia’s palace. But it’s large enough to fit even the tallest Kokhurian, and it’s a sight for sore eyes. The water is steaming and you just can’t wait to get into it. You take your clothes and fold them to the side next to the divider and carefully step into the bath. The hot water feels so nice on your cool skin, you can feel your muscles unwind as you soak into it. It’s large enough that you can get your shoulders down into it. A happy sigh escapes your lips as you relax the back of your head on the side. This is so nice…… nothing can ruin my relaxation….

“Hey—” Shona's voice suddenly calls out to you behind the divider, making your eyes fly open and you shudder a bit. “... NewC—I mean, Rhemi?”

You drop yourself into the water and cover your naked body with your arms and legs….. Spoke to fucking soon….. You lift your chin up slightly so you can be heard and shyly answer. “Ye-yeah?”

“It’s me, Shona… do you mind if I come in? I have some flowers and soaps for the bath.”

“Uhhhhh…. oh??” The thought of her coming in actually makes you feel uneasy. You don’t really show your skin off to people normally. Muriel is the only one who has seen you naked… that is that you know about… But Shona did volunteer to help you after all. It may be incredibly rude if you deny her assistance. Besides….flower petals and soap would be nice. “Ummm…. o-ok I guess….. I’m naked though!”

You hear her snort a little. “Yeah I know you are, that's why I’m asking if I can come in.”

You feel a little stupid stating the obvious and you shrunk into your shoulders. “O-okay. Come in.”

She comes through the divider completely unperturbed by your nakedness. She isn’t wearing her long parka for the first time. Instead she’s wearing a pinkish-plum colored wrap around dress, with orange designs and yellow flowers embroidered on the collar. You’ve seen part of it when she pulled one arm out of her sleeve for the archery game, but you didn’t see the full dress until now. Hiding underneath the thick furs, she is rather stout and fit, but not as thick as you had thought, and she has an excellent and elegant figure.

Feeling rather embarrassed, you keep yourself covered tightly as she makes herself busy preparing the flowers amen soaps. She may not be bothered by your nude presents, but you curl into yourself trying to hide your body, hoping she doesn't think any less of you.

As she turns her attention to you noticing your tightly bounded self, she raises an eyebrow as she sprinkles the flower petals into the hot bath water and softly grins. “Please, don’t be shy, it’s just skin… All of Great Mother’s children have it one way or another.” She then sits next to the tub and places the bottles of soap and shampoos to the side on the floor. “... Kokhurians may hide our bodies under thick furs, but we are not afraid of it. Besides, we're both women.” Thhhhaat really doesn’t mean anything… You quietly snort, thinking to yourself, but you feel a little more comfortable and you unravel yourself. I guess it’s fine if she is with it. She sticks her hand into the water to swirl the petals around a bit and immediately pulls it out, her fingers a bit red. “Ssssshit!—Tha an t-uisge seo uamhasach teth!!” Her eyes finally meet yours and she looks very concerned, then realizes that your skin isn’t at all red or burning. She tilts her head and sneers out of habit. “—How… how are you sitting in that?! It’s scalding hot!”

You smile awkwardly and scratch your neck. “Yeah….. I apparently have a high tolerance to heat…. a very high tolerance...”

She flutters her eyes and her sneer falls making her face soften looking impressed. “.... You are just… full of surprises. Huh?” She grins a little more.

“Yeah…. I’m told that a lot…..” You mutter bashfully. A bit of awkward silence takes over the tent while Shona starts to wash your hair. She really is taking her time and carefully washes your locks. Her longer nails feel very relaxing as she exfoliates your scalp and you start to understand why Muriel loves it so much when you do it for him. He even asks if you’d do it for him from time to time, you never mind either.

“Let this set for a few minutes.” Shoa says while getting comfortable sitting next to the tub, her arms draped over the side.

“Oh ok….” You reply with a half forced smile and you both lapse into very uncomfortable silence once again. You kind of want to start a conversation, but you have no idea how to do that with her… You don’t really know anything about her, other than she likes archery, making clothes, and taking care of her younger siblings.

Before you open your mouth attempting to ask a vague question, she surprisingly breaks the silence. “Can I say something without sounding weird?” She utters, finally glancing briefly into yours eyes.

You grin and shrug, relieved she broke the silence instead of you. “Ummm....Yeah, sure.”

Her eyes verse vertically and she stares uncomfortably down at your naked body as she rests her cheek on her knuckles. “... You have really nice boobs.” —HUH- What?!?! You start a bit when she utters that, but she looks like she’s very sincerely complimenting you. “... They’re a lot bigger than I thought they were. And they have a really great shape.” You shrink a bit into the water feeling a bit embarrassed again. “... I… I’m sorry if that was a bit too personal—”

You shake your head and try to relax. “N-..... No… it’s fine— it’s just—Uuuggghhhh. My friend, her name is Portia… She told me that too when we went shopping for swimwear this summer. It’s actually a really nice thing for someone to say…. but It's just very shocking when someone says it outloud… I never had a sister to tell me otherwise… Or at least I don’t think I did…..’”

Shona just snickers a little and leans her head into her arm resting on the side of the tub. “No wonder my cousin is crazy about you…” Her smile then falls and she averts her eyes toward the divider looking a bit ashamed. “..... Well that and you’re…. really patient….. and kind… and…. a better person that I am…”

Your heart drops when she says that, her tone filled with such regret and pain. “You’re not a bad person, Shona… I get why you didn’t like me. I remind you of someone that hurt you and your sister. And then Ava and I were keeping a secret from you…”

“It… It still doesn't excuse myself. You were right, the other day…. you didn’t hurt me or Ava… All you’ve done is help my family...” She pauses for a moment as she starts to rinse your hair with a bucket. “Here, close your eyes.” You do it obediently and she carefully pours the water on her head making your hair cover your eyes. You shake your soppy wet air and push it back out of your eyes. Once all the shampoo is rinsed out, Shona uses her fingers to comb through your hair to make sure there aren't any tangles, “.... It’s strange…. A Traveler took my sister’s voice. But another one gave them another….. For a long time, I thought I was the death of her happiness. But we just were looking at it from the wrong angle.”

“Ya’ know….” You look at her very kindly as she returns to lean on the side of the tub. “... I never hated you for not liking me, Shona… I'm just glad you're actually speaking to me like this.”

She looks away very ashamed grabbing another bottle of nice scented conditioner and starts to pour some in her palm. “I don’t know how or why you’re…. You're so understanding, I would have punched me in the face by now. I was a real bitch to you…”

You shrug a little, thinking it over. In normal circumstances, you would have done just that now that you think about it. But you never did feel hostility when it came to the twins, especially Shona. “....Maybe it’s because I get how you felt….. I mean…. in a way… People can be awful.” Shona stops washing your hair for a moment and just listens to your words. “....I didn’t like textile merchants for a long time… I made my friend buy me new clothes for over a year.”

“What do you mean?....” She mutters.

“... A few years ago, I woke up and didn’t have any memories…. the person I was living with was my only friend and he took care of me. He taught me how to be a normal person again….. but he would always leave town for awhile and I would be sad… really sad…. This one time when he left, for some reason I decided to go to a tavern… it got late, and this…. this guy I met there offered to walk me home.” You stop for a second, fiddling with a flower petal before you start again, Shona listening intently to every word. “.... I’m not proud of it…. but I was lonely and a bit drunk. He kept complimenting me, made me feel like I was wanted…. So… we started to kiss—this is before Muriel and I really knew each other, by the way….” She nods a little and you continue. “—But then he wanted to take it further, and it…. it just didn’t feel right. When I said no, he suddenly became so angry….. he overpowered me and pinned me against my own shop door.”

A look of horror washes over Shona’s face and she nearly stumbles on her words. “.... What did you…how- how did you— what did you do?”

Thinking back, you snort a little and lightly rub your forehead. “I head-butted the shit out of him and somehow broke his nose—hurt like hell too! Then I threatened him with a spell, but it didn’t work. Luckily Muriel was there and… and he saved me. Since I woke up five years ago he had always looked out for me. I just didn’t know it until just over a year ago. Then we got to know each other more… and… well you get the idea….” You feel your cheeks heat up at the thought.

Shona looks down at her dress for a moment, her hands slightly trembling. “How… How are you ok with…. just talking about it like that? Like it was nothing?”

You sink your shoulders into the warm water and fiddle with another flower petal pondering rather hard about it. “I…. I wasn’t. Not for a long time. I tried to forget that day even happened… but then, somehow the jackass wandered in my shop. He didn’t recognize me at first… he was looking for a sleeping potion but I knew he had other intentions…. Muriel was there again. Good thing too. I may have done more than just hurt the bastard.” You look back over to Shona and she’s just trembling all over, looking so terrified for some reason, tightly gripping her dress. Eerily, you know that look on her face. Very slowly you reach out for her shoulder. “... Shona…?” She jumps at your touch, but doesn’t pull away nor is she disgusted with it. “....Those Highwaymen... You said that Ava was protecting you from them?” Shona eyes become watery like a dam about to burst. “They….. did more than beat you up… didn’t they?”

Tears overwhelm her eyes and she can longer hold them back as they roll down her face. “M-Momma and Papa don't even know. Only Ava does…. Please don’t tell any—”

Bursting your top half out of the tub, without thinking you throw your wet arms around her, unable to stop yourself. “.... It wasn’t your fault what they did, Shona.”

She is a bit shocked at the sudden embrace at first, but doesn’t pull away. “Y-Yes it was. I was the one that insisted on going near the Great Gate…. I— I even flirted with that highwayman—the leader! He posed as a merchant when we were trading…. he-... he saw all that we had. That’s why he and his gang raided our tents!! But…. They’re all dead now... Papa and the other fighters killed them. So why does it hurt so much still?”

“It doesn’t just go away, Shona. It fucking sucks what they did! It was wrong! It’s sickening!” A single tear drips down from your cheek.

“Yeah. It.. It does. I fought them off as much as I could but…. They still…” She shakes her head, unable to say it. But she doesn’t have to, you know. If she doesn’t want to talk about the details, she doesn’t have to.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about it? You’re mother especially? How has she not seen it?”

“I… I don’t know… She asked if anything happened… and I denied it—and why would she want to relive that?”

“... Why would you lie?”

She shakes her head a little, seeming unsure herself. “....I dunno….. They-they almost killed Ava. That was enough for my parents to deal with. I didn’t want to make things worse… Maybe… Maybe I thought if I didn’t talk about it… It would just go away. Like it didn’t happen. As if it was just a bad dream. I… I don’t know. It didn’t seem important.”

You hug her even tighter. “...You’re important too, Shona.”

Shona shakes uncontrollably, but she places her hands over your arms, excepting the comforting embrace. “It’s been so long…. it shouldn’t matter anymore.”

“But it bothers you still. Doesn’t it? That should be reason enough to talk to someone...... Get it off your chest. This is too much to beat. Even for you! You are very strong, all of the Kokhuri are… but you don’t have to be alone with this, Shona.”

“.... How do I even ask for help for something that happened years ago? Besides what can talking do?”

“....It's not just the talking, Shona… it's the listening part too….”

Shona leans into your arms and softly weeps, it seems like she needed to talk about this. A few minutes go by and she finally gets a hold of herself, gently pulling away from your arms. “....Thanks for listening, Rhemi…..”

“Any time....” You lean over the edge of the tub and kindly smile, then see her dress is half soaked now. “I’m sorry I got water all over you.”

She wipes her stray tears away with her forearm. “It’s… It’s fine. Th.. thank you… I.... I really don’t deserve you being so nice to me. Especially the way I treated you since we met.”

You smile a little wider, conjure your magic and wave your hand instantly drying her dress. She glances down in astonishment. You can’t help but be empathetic towards her. “... Yes you do. I knew you had a reason. Just because you disliked me didn’t mean I didn't like you. Believe it or not, I’m bad at talking about things that bother me too. So is Muri.”

She snorts a bit, at last giving a small grin again. “Cousin Muriel- I can see, but... you? You seem so open. You bearly know me and you spoke about a horrific thing that happened to you.”

“Yeah. You would think that, huh?... I think I kept a lot of secrets when I was younger. I don’t really know why I know. But I think I remember that I had to hide a lot. Especially the person who I really was…. But with Muriel. I never feel like that. I can alway be myself… I can be honest with him. And he loves me anyway. But sometimes I forget about that. He made me realize that I needed to be more truthful too.”

Shona just gives you a knowing look and smiles a bit wider. “Cousin Muriel is lucky to have someone like you, Rhemi.”

You shift your legs a little to make sure they don’t go to sleep and mirror her smile. “..Ya’ know…. you can call me ‘Rem’ for short if you like. My friends call me that.”

Shona flutters her eyes and makes a very happy sounding huff out of her mouth. “Thanks, Rem.” At last, you can call Shona your friend. It feels good. Like Ava, she seemed to be secretly lonely, even both of their energy seems to be lighter like a huge weight has been lifted.

Shona stifles a soft giggle as you start to shiver because of your cold wet hair. “I think we need to rinse your hair again, you don’t want to catch a cold.”

You tilt your head and gently close your eyes. “That’s actually a myth—”

Suddenly Keavy comes into the divider with something in her hands. “Oi, Shona! Have you seen—” Quickly you sink even deeper into the tub with a surprised squeak and tightly cover your breasts.

“—Keavy!! Privacy! Ever hear of it?!” Shona snaps looking rather grumpy and stirn again.

Poor Keavy shudders and quickly darts back behind the divider. She also doesn’t have her parka on and is wearing a wrap around dress very similar to Shona’s. “—Ooooh! I am so sorry, Rhemi! I didn’t mean too—…. Wait—Shona?! You're her neach-curaim???”

“Y-yes…” Shona‘s cheeks start to heat up very slightly, but as a matter of fact face washes over her. “.... What about it??”

“N—nothing!!! I-I…. just didn’t think… that…… Know what, n-... nevermind. I guess I’ll come back later.”

“I-It’s just you…. right, Keavy??” You whimper.

“Yeah it's just me. I promise! No one else!”

“You can come in then. B-But I’m naked.”

“Yeah…. I got that part.” She softly chuckles as she comes back behind the divider and you feel a little silly at your obvious statement. “I have the clothes you made for her, Shona. Momma just put the final touches on them.”

You whip your head to look at Shona in astonishment. “Y-You made me a parka??”

She shrugs with a hint of blush on her cheeks. “Well, I can't take all the credit. Momma and a few of the other people helped. Great-Auntie Khamagalai taught Momma how to sew very quickly and she taught me the same. And it’s custom that your new family make you a traditional parka, headdress and earrings. Since you're not getting married I’m afraid it’s not as fancy, we didn’t have as much time to prepare anyways. It was a parka I was already working on.” You look back towards Keavy and she gives you a huge smile and opens up the parka. Suddenly you feel breathless at the sight of it. It’s the same one you saw that she was working on the other day when you peeked into Shona’s tent. It’s so beautiful, she even made it short enough for you to wear. Your eyes suddenly get watery and Shona jolts. “—It really was last minute… I’m sorry if its not to your liking—”

“No! That's not it!…. I…. I love it, Shona. It’s— it's perfect.”

Keavy eyes dart between you and Shona, looking very surprised at how you both are getting along all of a sudden, not really sure what to make of it. Shona notices, then glances over to her sister a little irritation fresh on her face. “What??”

Keavy blinks a few times and shakes her head. “N-… nothing…. It's just good to see you…. look like that, Sis.”

Shona blushes a little more and plays with the end of her braid. “Whatever…. you weirdo. So are you gonna help us or just stand there staring??” She mutters as she stands to her feet.

Keavy looks rather surprised. “You…. you want me to…. to help you?”

Shona sighs, sounding a little annoyed to grab a towel passing by her. “Well you might as well make yourself useful…. right?” She utters grumpily flicking Keavy’s forehead at her older sibling-like as she passes by her. “I’ve still gonna get her the dress I had to make the other day and I still need to finish the earrings and the headdress…. Could you help her rinse her hair?”

Keavy is stunned at her sister's actions, but actually doesn't need to mind at all. A large ginger smile washes over her lips “Yeah!—I’ll be happy to help.” She carefully folds the parka back up and places it on a small stool by the dividers and picks up the small bucket and stands knees over where Shona was sitting before. Keavy seems so happy at this moment. Shawn mentioned that Keavy and her were close at one point when they were younger. He also mentioned that she never let anyone help her either when it came to her duties and took on way more than she needed to. Maybe Keavy hasn’t seen this side of her in a long time. It must feel good to be trusted to help.

Keavy helps you rinse your hair out then hold your hands as you step out of the large tub and blankets you with the towel. Once dry, Shona comes back with the dress she was talking about. It’s not a wrap around dress like theirs, she seemed to have taken another dress and sown it together to make it fit you. Her skills just amaze you, she made it look like it was purposely made that way. As you donn it over your head, it fits perfectly, and hangs off of you very well. Shona and Keavy then lead you out of the divider after you're dressed and you sit next to the fire.

“Awwww!! You look nice in mauve.” Keavy says cupping her cheeks in girlish excitement and Una comes into the tent with her newborn tightly in her arms. Una stops for a second as she sees you and a happy smile takes over her lips. “Look Momma! Oooo I am so excited! I haven't been to one of our weddings before!—Well I guess this isn’t really one. But…. it’s close enough for me! I can't wait to see Cousin’s face when he gets a load of you after we get you all ready~.”

Your cheeks light up, feeling so nervous all of a sudden. “You—You think he’ll like me dressed up?”

Una tuts at your statement and kneels down to your level and gently tilts your chin up. “Of course he will!! You are a very gorgeous girl, Rhemi! I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’d bet ya he would think you're beautiful dressed in a potato sack!”

Shona fetches a comb and starts to brush your hair, patting your shoulder comfortingly. “You’re gonna blow his mind.” She adds while Una stands back to her feet, taking the sleeping baby to a small crib to sleep.

“Thanks… Both of you…” You say with a little happy grin.

Suddenly without any warning, Tad comes bursting into the tent, heaving heavily like he ran as fast as he could from the other side of the camp. “RHEMI!!!” He cries out with such urgency in his voice, making everyone in the tent just jump in shock.

“—YES!! What?! What’s goin’ on??? WHERE’S MURIEL?!” You half shout as your heart drops into your stomach fearing the worst.

He suddenly doubles over completely out of breath. “Wha—?..... Oh! He’s—he’s fine.” He utters exhaustively waving his hand. “Ronin,…. Gilbert,...A….Ava and…. Shawn are…. with him… Pffew—”

“Then what is going on? Spit it out, man!!” Una chims in, looking just as shocked and worried.

Tad huffs out his sentence, but only a single word at a time. “Rhemi,.....Can… Can I… Please….. Do… Your…” He takes in a large inhale attempting to slow down his breathing. “....HAIR!!!!!!”

You flutter your eyes and start to relax and slap your forehead with your palm. What the hell Tad…

To be continued…..

Again, I am so sorry this is late. These last few chapters are gonna be hella fluffy. So, be prepared! Hope you all are staying safe and staying healthy! Mother Llama loves you babies! Enjoy my hot trash!!

#the arcana #muriel fanfic #journey back to the south #madllamamomma #ava of the kokhuri #una of the kokhuri #gilbert of the kokhuri #shona of the kokhuri #ida of the kokhuri #muriel of the kokhuri #part 10~#my hot trash #for my hungry trash pandas #eat up my children #sorry its been so long #i am a terrible person

32 notes · View notes